Breathless
by Jay FicLover
Summary: Things used to be clear...until she arrived, that is. Naraku x UsagiSerena x Sesshoumaru love triangle. Spins off IY manga. Chap 74: "With all that's happened, Ungai and his men threaten to take Usagi and the kids away from Sesshoumaru's gang.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I don't know either Inuyasha or Sailor Moon. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, etc; and Sailor Moon to Naoko Takeuchi, etc. _

PROLOGUE

He'd been unusually stressed that night, having second thoughts on discarding the old bandit's human heart. A spy had revealed what Kikyo had been secretly plotting; that was why he decided to return there, to Mount Hakurei, to get the heart back along with Onigumo's old corrupted human feelings.

But what he found there, waiting for him, wasn't all that he had expected…

…She was hanging from the rusty rocky ceiling, hair dangling in long golden tresses as she was tangled in what looked like dark pink ribbons all around her naked human body, acting as makeshift ropes that held her form in suspension above the water, like the soft threads of a spider's web imprisoning a beautiful butterfly.

In the water beneath her, what should have been her reflection under the light of the moon morphed into a grotesque human face grinning smugly at his used-to-be owner.

…Onigumo…

"_Ah" the bandit gave a satisfied smile "The hanyou returns, just as I'd predicted"_

_The new-comer regarded him in silence, his expression unreadable._

"_So I have" He raised his eyes to give an assessing glance at the silent silhouette hanging from the ceiling, before setting them once more on his human counterpart, "I see you already had visitors" _

_The bandit-head raised itself above the water, looked up and whistled. _

"_So it seems" he said, then felt silent._

_The hanyou clenched his teeth, repressing a growl of impatience; he didn't like playing the games of this most worthless half._

"_Well, then" he inquired, regarding the figure up again with an air of studied indifference, "who is she?"_

_Onigumo smirked at him tauntingly. "Oh I don't know, dear Naraku. Given she's not in a conversational mood, I haven't had the chance to ask" _

_One single eyebrow arched. "She got inside the cave already like that?"_

"_Unconscious? Yes… Since she arrived"_

'_For how long?' "When did it happen?"_

"_Seven days ago, give or take one, I would say"_

"…_A week then", he calculated. _

"_That is right"_

"_Hn"_

_When all Naraku did was get closer to the human head, it felt the need to ask. _

"_What are you going to do with her?" _

_This gained another arched eyebrow from the half-breed, yet he didn't pause in his approach. _

"_You suggest I bury her? Unless you wish to bed her corpse, she's already dead" " he asked with amusement detecting a hungry note in the human's tone. "But then again that's never been a problem for you, has it?" _

_He couldn't resist that little jab at the bandit's necrophile obsession lingering for Kikyo… _

_It had brought them too much trouble, after all. _

"_She's alive"_

_Naraku finally paused. _

"_Are you putting my senses under question, human?" Red eyes narrowed in warning. _

_The Onigumo Head smirked again, not the least intimidated._

"_It appears letting go of me has deeply affected you more than anyone would have thought, Naraku. You didn't use to be this unobservant. Perhaps, along with your human heart, you also left your wit down here with me in Mount Hakurei?"_

_This time, the hanyou known as Naraku did growl. Just this time… Just this time, he decided, he'd humor him; see what had caught the bandit's attention, if only to keep him silent as he was reabsorbed into his body. _

_He looked up at the hanging figure intently for a couple of seconds, and then felt IT._

_Power._

_Pure and rough power. _

…_Emanating from her in waves, like a pulse, with every beat of her heart._

_Naraku felt his eyes uncharacteristically widen, he couldn't understand why he hadn't felt it until now…_

…'_the Shikon no Tama?!?'_

"_It's not the Shikon Jewel" Onigumo supplied as if reading his thoughts. _

* * *

End to Prologue

A/N: (For those who've seen Wolf's Rain, just so you can picture it in your head, she was dangling from the ribbons (the pink ribbons that replace her sailor suit everytime a direct hit forces her to de-transform) just like Cheza did in that fishbowl-like glass container) I'm not sure where I'm gonna go with this, and pairings, IF there'll be any, are certainly still undecided. You can help me with suggestions in that respect. All I know is that there will be some things of the Inuyasha manga present, and some won't. Same for the Sailor Moon manga.

Anyway, please tell me your thoughts.


	2. Butterfly

___Disclaimer: I don't own either Sailor Moon or Inuyasha. Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, etc, and Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, etc._

Chapter 1

'Butterfly'

"___Princess…"_

Pale hands rose to clutch the sweaty forehead, attempting to lessen the pains of the impending headache that she knew that would come.

"___If you say '____**bald spot'**____the cat will scratch you"_

It was the same thing every time.

"___We will always be together, right?_

"___The enemy incursion is beginning, so—_

******Pain.**

___"Where there is light, there is darkness._

"___Your coming here was destiny"_

******Gasp...**

"___The time has now come again for light and darkness to join hands!"_

___"…Why did you save me?"_

******Whimper**

"___Inside you, I saw the loneliness of myself"_

******Tears.**

"___**What troubles my Chouko no hime? Shhh… it's okay… It will pass…**_******.**___**"**_

Shadows covered the tunnels of the deep subterranean fortress, walls of rock and dirt tainting the moist air in each passage with the steamy fragrance of the earth.

She didn't mind the darkness, the mist or the solitude. It reminded her so much of the darkness, mist and solitude in her own mind that she found having such traits in common with the environment all around her even brought an odd sense of camaraderie and comfort.

As long as he was beside her, she didn't need much.

HE had promised to take her outside, when it wasn't so tempestuous and unsteady; he had said when he deemed it not dangerous for her safety to be allowed to wander in the open, in broad daylight. That time hadn't come yet, he would often say, caressing her head, running his fingers through her golden locks of hair. 'Not yet, not yet…'

'…___**Soon'**_

Still, she didn't mind as long as he came to her as soon as he was back from each time he left; as long as he didn't delay coming to find her in the small indoor garden which he had had servants arrange just for her, filled with all the flowers he had ordered be transplanted so she could rejoice in the beauties of the outside world, right down there, in the peace and shelter of their underground home.

When he did come to her, they would often sit together, silently enjoying the simple pleasures of each other's company. Her sitting in his lap, his fingers once again running through her blond tresses— he really ___was_ fascinated with their shine, texture and color.

"…**__****Butterfly?"**

And it was in those sacred moments, that she would ask him again.

___Please._

"Do you believe in Fate?"

___Help me_

___Chase away all these haunting voices and faceless ghosts_

So he would put his arms around her, rest his chin on her head, and start the tale she never got tired of listening.

"'___**As the wheels of fate turn, they spin a red threat'**_

'…___**that is nothing more than nonsense spouted by the weak'**_

'___**For the truly powerful, Fate and Destiny are things you create yourself'"**_

He looked down at her

"…___**That is, what I used to believe…"**_

Mystifying her with those entrancing eyes —and inside her head, she would repeat the same question of the voices in her mind—,

___Why did you save me?_

—crimson… so beautiful… and so comforting.

"___**It wasn't just a mere coincidence that we met; it was destiny, for I was fated to find you. There in the cave… unconscious. Slowly, you were dying. It didn't matter to me that you did not remember who you were or anything else from your past. It was a sign, I knew, that whatever lay beneath those void deserts of oblivion, should be left there and buried.**_

"**__****All I know is you're not from this world."**

"**__****It doesn't matter.**

"___**I had gone there to recover my heart, and instead found a reason for existing…"**_

Hearing that, her eyes would lighten up, her arms tightening their hold around his neck and shoulders.

___The Moon shines so bright tonight,_

_I am breathless._

"******The both of us are nothing but anomalies, accidents never meant to roam this earth. You an outsider, expelled from another world and I, the creation not of God but of the will of countless beings; neither of us truly belongs… It was only natural we found our way to each other."**

___**Inside you, I saw the loneliness of myself**_

"…******We follow the same path, you and I, Butterfly."**

To Be Continued

A/N: Here's my request, I want to know what you guys prefer. Should I follow the manga canon, and erase Kikyo, Kagura, Hakudoshi, Moryoumaru and/or Akago, or should I go for an alternate universe, more similar to the anime, where some of them, if not all, continue to live after Naraku recovered Onigumo's heart? I have a few ideas, but I'd like to know your opinion.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and please let me know your thoughts.


	3. The warning

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, or anything else you recognize. The writing of this story is just for my personal pleasure and I don't get any profit out of it._

Chapter Two.

'The Warning'

"…_Something's wrong…"_

The priestess made a pause. The young taijiya boy that had been walking by her side also stopped so he could look at her in mild surprise.

"Is something wrong, Kikyo-sama?"

The raven haired woman, Kikyo, did not answer, her gaze focused on a distant spot on the ground far ahead, which made the boy realize she'd once again gotten immersed in the sanctuary of her own thoughts.

'_Mhm, I wish I knew what's been bothering Kikyo-sama, she's been looking a lot more worried than usual as of late'_

The boy had already started gathering up his courage to come out with the question about what was on the wise undead miko's mind, when he noticed her frowning to herself.

This only served to make him all the more nervous.

"…Kikyo miko-sama?"

"Kohaku"

He was momentarily relieved when she finally raised her eyes towards him, only to grow concerned again once he saw the priestess' mouth set in a thin grim line.

"Yes?"

"Something's happened; I'm going to have to leave you alone for a while. Please stay here with Kochou and Asuka for a moment, I'll be back in a couple of minutes"

The boy seemed to hesitate for a few moments before he nodded.

"Alright"

Shielded under the barrier erected by Kochou and Asuka, Kikyo's two shikigami, he silently watched the holy woman he had come to know as his protector since the death of Kagura and the recovery of his memories as she slowly disappeared into the woods; a barely repressed look of alarm overshadowing his childlike features.

* * *

It was in a faraway solitaire clearing in the middle of forest that the undead priestess known as Kikyo had finally seemed to reach some sort of destination. Making sure there were no unwanted auras nearby, the miko leaned down to sit on the ground. 

With an almost unperceivable sigh, she closed her eyes and concentrated. It was the very first time she attempted to reach with her own mind to the ancient soul being kept since so recently hosted inside her body, but she knew better than to let their whispered warning go unheeded.

She didn't know if this would work, if she was truly gonna be able to speak with the late Great Priestess's ancient soul, which she had first borrowed to help her heal the old poisonous wound Naraku had given her at Mount Hakurei, the same one which Kagome's holy powers had initially managed to only temporarily stop from spreading… It'd been when the wound had started to worsen once again, even after Kagome had attempted to heal it, that Kikyo had gone back to that cave where she knew the frozen figure of Midoriko rested, and humbly asked the late Great Priestess' help in healing said wound so she could continue chasing after Naraku.

However, once there inside the cave, she'd found that the remains of Midoriko's great soul agreed not only to help heal it, but also to fuse themselves with the younger miko's own soul (the fragment of Kagome's that was in her clay and soil body) so that Kikyo could use Midoriko's last purifying powers to destroy Naraku along with the Shikon no Tama once the Sacred Jewel was complete in his grasp.

But for that plan to work, Midoriko and Kikyo together needed to use a purified jewel shard, the very last if one didn't count the two still in that wolf demon, Kouga's possession… the last jewel shard, which was the one that sustained the no-longer-amnesic Kohaku's life.

Which was why Kikyo was currently keeping him by her side.

And now that they were once more after Naraku's trail, the fragments of Midoriko's soul had warned Kikyo of an impending danger…

'_I've felt your call, Midoriko-sama…, I am listening'_

For a long time, only the deepest silence, interrupted every now and then by the birds' cheerful singing and the noise of the tree leaves as they smashed against one another under the force of the wind, were the only sound that met the undead miko's summoning.

It was only after a few agonizing moments, when she'd been almost ready to give up and try again, that she thought she heard the voice of the soul of the Great Priestess.

"_Kikyo…"_

'_Yes. Is that you Midoriko-sama?'_

"_Kikyo… Do you still have the soil of the bandit Onigumo's grave within you?"_

'_Hai, I do'_

"_Then make sure it stays that way, dear child… You're gonna need its protective properties"_

'…_I will. But why do you say I'm gonna need them, Midoriko-sama?'_

"_I sense the Shikon fragments in his possession getting darker… Naraku's recovered Onigumo's human heart"_

The undead woman couldn't keep a flicker of emotion from crossing over her features as her eyes snapped open, filling with astonishment.

'_What?I-I don't understand Midoriko-sama. Why would he..?! The only possible reason as to why he would ever want his human heart back is—'_

"—_is if he suspected what we were about to do, dear child" _the voice ended for her in a grave tone.

Kikyo gritted her teeth. He was always a step ahead of her, that bastard!

'_Is he trying to use Onigumo's heart to further corrupt the Shikon no Tama, Midoriko-sama?' _she asked, getting back in all-business mode, trying to compose herself. _'Are Onigumo's emotions truly dark enough to shield it and him against our combined holy powers?'_

There was a long silence.

"_There's something else you should know" _the voice continued after the pause,_ "Onigumo's heart isn't the only dark aura attempting to taint the jewel; there is something else…two more powerful auras around it… one is a darker power, subtle, but so malicious like I've never seen, even before the jewel was created. You must surely have felt its sickening presence"_

Sharply holding her breath, the raven haired miko nodded her head in defeat. She'd somehow been expecting the Great Priestess to aboard this subject sooner or later, from the moment she'd felt that warning.

Ever since months ago, she'd felt that obscure, overpowering presence at the edge of her awareness. It was distant from her self, yet was so intense and felt so close it'd make her skin crawl and the hairs on the back of her head constantly stand on end nowadays… Although that powerful aura still remained passive and dormant for the most part,the thought that Naraku could have any connection to such monstrous entity of evil was _frightening_. The mere thought that it could turn against them was unsettling, even to an undead such as she.

She'd never felt or heard of anything so overwhelmingly massive, turbulent and foreshadowing in her entire existence, and even in the case that Midoriko didn't know what it was, she'd fervently hoped at least it didn't have anything to do with Naraku.

Apparently, it'd only been wistful thinking and once more she'd been utterly wrong.

Swallowing hard, Kikyo unconsciously prepared herself for whatever else Midoriko was about to continue to tell her…

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

GLOSSARY 

'Hanyou' means half demon (Inuyasha and Naraku are both hanyous).

'Taijiya' means demon exterminator (Sango and her brother Kohaku are taijiya).

Someone-'sama' is used to show deference to a superior, more powerful and/or experienced person, be it a royal, sage, master, monk or priestess, etc.

'Miko' means Shinto priestess

'Shikigami' means guardian spirit/s summoned by a Shinto priest or priestess (Kochou and Asuka, the little girls accompanying Kikyo since her pose as "Her Holyness Hijiri-sama", are her shikigami summoned to protect her)

'Shikon no Tama' means Jewel of the Four Souls, or Shikon Jewel.

'Midoriko' was a powerful priestess that batttled demons inside a cave for seven days and nights before her spirit bound the demon's own into itself and was expelled from her body, leaving only their frozen statues behind and giving birth to the Shikon no Tama, or Jewel of Four Souls.

A/N: Don't know if any of you didn't realize, but a few lines of the previous chapter, 'Butterfly', were taken directly from the Sailor Moon manga. Also, the answers to the reviews of the prologue have been given through a review I myself made to the first entry of my story; they're there in case any of you still wanna see the replies you've gotten, and so will the replies to the reviews of chapter one in a review I will give to that chapter once I'm finished writing this.

As you've probably realized, I've taken a bit of free license as for the time progression but this chapter is mostly manga-based: Kagura is already dead (sorry Kagura lovers, but I need it for my plot), Kikyo's fused with Midoriko's soul, Kohaku's already regained his memories and he's traveling with Kikyo (she keeps his jewel shard pure and free from evil taint, hence keeping Kohaku safe from Naraku's control) cause he wants to help her destroy him.

I'm not totally sure but I think more manga facts will probably appear later on in the story, though they'll also be explained so you anime-only fans don't be concerned. All this information can be found in their character profiles on wikipedia, anyway, but if you still have any questions you can tell me through a review or e-mail and I'll give you the address to a couple of sites that might help clear your doubts.

That is all for now, please don't forget to tell me your thoughts.

Cheers!


	4. Omen

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon. I only own the plot, what you can understand of it anyway… —naughty smirk—_

Chapter Three.

'Omen'

It had all happened so quickly: first Naraku's discovery of the Wind Sorceress Kagura's attempt of treachery, which had lead to her ruthless murder at his hands; Sesshoumaru's most unfortunate failure when trying to save her with the Tenseiga; the fellow detachment Mouryomaru's cruel mocking of her death in front of him, which had lead to the Demon Lord's enraged loss of control and the accidental breaking of his demonic sword, the Tokijin; days after that, the sword smith Totosai had showed himself to Lord Sesshoumaru, saying that his other sword, Tenseiga'd been calling to him, asking to be turned into a weapon so it could finally take its rightful place as the Demon Lord's inheritance.

Jaken couldn't help but wonder about the reason for such sudden unexpected reaction on the Heaven Fang's part. Had the Tenseiga really sensed some sort of change in the Demon Lord's heart as Totosai had, in Jaken's opinion, so disrespectfully suggested? The moment he'd charged at Mouryomaru with all the intention of avenging the dead Wind Sorceress' memory, had some newfound sensibility truly began to grow in such hardened soil as were the Taiyoukai's inner emotions?

One couldn't help but wonder.

Continuing in a relatively silent journey, the Western Lord Sesshoumaru and his three companions had been traveling for three days after their encounter with Totosai, when the sworsmith had returned and given to the Demon Lord the reforged Sword of Heaven.

Neither Rin nor Jaken were completely sure what was going on Sesshoumaru's mind now, but they certainly suspected it had to do with the Tenseiga's newly-acquired offensive capability, the technique of 'Meidou Zangetsuha' or Morning Moon's Path to the Underworld Destruction, which Totosai had explained consisted of a lunar crescent -figured hole that sucked the enemies in, sending them directly to the world of the dead, and which took the form of the full moon whenever performed in its strongest, complete form.

It was the achievement of this 'complete' form that Totosai had spoken of what Jaken was sure was troubling his Lord. He was made even more certain when he looked at the Taiyoukai's immobile and distant form almost hidden under the darkness of the night, his pensive outline faintly brought out by the light of the fire of the camp in which he and Rin were roasting some fish for dinner.

Never in a million years would the servant youkai have imagined it was a mere dream what'd been more involved in Sesshoumaru's preoccupations.

…Or had it truly been a dream at all?

Lord Sesshoumaru closed his eyes in remembrance.

_The Lord of the West came to find himself in the outskirts of what looked like a silent, desert landscape swept by the tides of Death itself. The countless corpses of decaying animals and even demons covered the barren land under a blood red sky, and so were the human bodies from what looked like a burned village at the far back scattered on the arid grounds where not even weeds or grass dared to grow anymore. _

_He was surprised to notice Rin, Jaken and the two headed dragon nowhere to be seen and what he found utmost strange was the fact that he didn't recall why or when he had gotten there, to this place all by himself, if he consciously had at all; he was starting to suspect it all to be an illusion, since he couldn't tell where exactly these odd locations were for they didn't give him the slightest sense of recognition, all he could fathom was that something terrible had happened there, and that someone or something had wanted him to see it. _

_What or why he didn't know. _

'_This must be Naraku's doing', the Demon Lord thought with disdain. Whether he spoke of the destruction in the place or of the oddness of finding himself there, he was not even sure himself. Then when the scenery finally morphed into an empty black void, he wasn't surprised to hear a ghostly voice address him…_

_What surprised him was that the voice was female._

"_It is only the outcome of a possible future…You're Lord Sesshoumaru of the Inu-Youkai Clan, Son of the Inu no Taisho of the Western Lands, are you not?" a somewhat cold regal voice asked._

"_I ask the questions first, woman" he demanded in a hissing drawl, "who are you and why have you brought this Sesshoumaru into your pitiful illusion?" _

_There were a few moments of silence before he heard the voice responding._

"_Know your place Taiyoukai, for you've been brought to this place in between dreams for a very important reason, a mission which I, as the Goddess of the New Moon, Hecate's Avatar, will entrust you with"_

_The Demon Lord narrowed his eyes. "This Sesshoumaru takes orders from no one"_

_**Laughter. **"You WILL carry on my mission, Taiyoukai, orders have nothing to do with it, for you too are a descendant of the line of Hecate, and as a Child of the Moon your duty is to honour your lunarian heritage… Has your mother thought you nothing?"_

_At those words, Sesshoumaru's eyes frowned even more. "Who are you? How do you know such things?"_

"_I am the spirit of the New Moon of Death, Avatar of Hecate and the Queen of Darkness, Queen Neherenia… I am your Matriarch…" _

* * *

Somewhere else, the poised raven haired woman was dealing with similar occurrences. 

Was this truly the place where Naraku, and whatever powers allied with him, were hiding?

If that was so, she would make sure to find out at once. She had once again left Kohaku alone with Kochou and Asuka, her two shikigami, protected by an unusually strong barrier created with her Holy powers just so she wouldn't get any worries or outer distractions as she set herself to investigate the cave.

It had been quite difficult to find, the entrance almost hidden there in the darkness, covered by vines and other greenery hanging over the mouth of the cavern as if serving the purpose of a masking subtle curtain. But she had discovered it non-the-less, because not even Naraku's most powerful concealing items, shields and magic could have hidden the feeling of such evil presence from a Miko as powerful and well-trained as herself.

Kikyo was sure of it now; the powerful assembly of auras was coming from this place, this strange cavern in the mountains that apparently led to some sort of subterranean fortress. The undead miko steeled herself and prepared to face whatever surprises the vile hanyou most surely had in store in case she ever happened to come upon his lair.

'Clever Naraku, very clever… But your attempts to intimidate me, by allowing me to feel that monstrous aura down there with you, are only succeeding in drawing me closer instead of driving me away…'

She let that thought trailed off numbly in the recesses of her mind, a thought that would never be completed, for the raven haired miko gasped as a greeting new presence was finally brought to her attention, under the form of the ghostly silhouette of a winged woman staring at her quite intensely from the deeper ahead part of the very cavern she had just entered.

Kikyo couldn't get out of her stupor, for the new comer not only had the most unusual pupil-less blue eyes, long silvery-gray hair and huge feathery black wings and her see-through slim body was naked, but she also had no aura, no life force, no energy for her to detect that she was there at all whatsoever, if she hadn't noticed her with her own mortal eyes; and if Inuyasha, or any other youkai or hanyou had been there beside her at that moment, the miko was sure they would have stated the strange apparition had no identifiable scent either.

"Who are you?"

The woman's empty gaze became even more deadened.

"You have no further business here. Turn around, miko; this is as far as you can go. The Wheels of Fate are turning and no mortal human soul, dead or otherwise is allowed to interfere in the patterns of its weaving"

The Priestess regarded the ghost for a few seconds in confusion, yet immediately got out an arrow and notched it into her bow.

"Are you with Naraku? Who are you?" she asked in an anxious yell as powerful gusts of dark wind came out of the obscure far-bottom entrails of the cave, dragging her further and further out as her raven haired whipped all around her. "What does this mean, what is that terrible presence…? Answer me!"

The last thing she saw before the strong winds swept her off her feet full force and away were the vacuous eyes of the winged ghost looking at her with something akin to pity…

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

GLOSSARY 

'Taiyoukai' means Demon Lord.

'Youkai' means demon.

'Hanyou' means half-demon-half-human (Inuyasha and Naraku are hanyous).

'Mouryomaru' was a golem created by Hakudoshi using several demon parts to serve as a more powerful host body for Akago, the baby that was Naraku's physical heart after Mount Hakurei. After Kagura was killed, Mouryomaru made fun of her in front of Sesshoumaru causing him to break the Tokijin sword in rage. However, soon after Mouryomaru, and Akago inside him, were both reabsorbed into Naraku's body in the middle of a fight with Inuyasha's gang and Sesshoumaru; Naraku did this because he'd realized that like Kagura, they also had the intention of betraying him.

'Tenseiga' is Sesshoumaru's Sword of Heaven, or Fang of Heaven, that was made out of one of his father, the Inu no Taisho's fangs along with Inuyasha's own sword, the Tetsusaiga, and which was given to Sesshoumaru as his inheritance whereas the Tessaiga, or Tetsusaiga was given to Inuyasha.

'Tokijin' is Sesshoumaru's demonic sword that he had Kaijinbo, the evil swordsmith make for him out of Goshinki's fangs. Goshinki was one of the earlier detachments of Naraku that Inuyasha's team encountered.

'Totosai' is the old youkai swordsmith that crafted the Tenseiga and the Tetsusaiga swords for the Inu no Taisho, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's late father.

'Hime no Chouko' is the way Naraku addressed Usagi in the second chapter of this story, and it means 'Princess Little Butterfly'.

**A/N: I hope it wasn't confusing. Please tell me what you think!**


	5. Treasures

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon._

Chapter Four.

'Treasures'

It was earlier the following morning that Lord Sesshoumaru decided to go on his own to make another visit to the old sword smith.

The old youkai who had been outside his cave, working away in the heat on forging a katana set with his fire blowing, stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead and raised his eyes to look at the young Demon Lord in surprise.

"My my, Sesshoumaru… It's been no more than a couple of days since the last time I saw you… You working on the Tenseiga's technique of 'Meidou Zangetsu-ha'?"

"Totosai, I need you to… answer some questions"

The aging demon raised his eye-brows. "I see… Still haven't mastered it full circle, have you?"

The Taiyoukai scowled.

"That is not of your concern" he replied icily "I came to you because, as the Tenseiga and the Tessaiga's creator, you must have an idea of where their Blessings came from"

The weapon master stared at him in confusion "Their… blessings you say?"

Sesshoumaru's cool gaze became a glare.

"Don't test my patience", he warned.

Irked, Totosai glared right back.

"I swear to you, Sesshoumaru, I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"

The Demon Lord lifted a clawed hand.

"The Blessings of an Omnipresent Higher Entity… the blessings that allowed Tenseiga, Tetsusaiga and Sounga to invoke the powers of Heaven, Earth and Hell at will" he all but hissed as he approached the now retreating Totosai "What did Father tell you of Hecate's three ancient relics?"

"What are you on, Sesshoumaru?" a flustered, confused sword smith questioned. "…Hecate's relics?! What do you mean by—", he suddenly paused, eyes wide in recognition. "_Oh! …_Hecate no _Megami_'sThree Ancient_ Treasures!_"

Trust a senile demon to make a fuss out of such an insignificant difference in wording; the Taiyoukai could have growled in aggravation.

He instead ceased approaching him and lowered his hand.

"I take it you remember _now_"

The weapon-crafter giggled sheepishly.

"Well, it's been a long time since I last thought about it" he said scratching his head "What surprises me is that you would know about it"

"And why is _that_, old man?" Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes.

He _really _was loosing his patience for the old youkai…

"Um, well… you're actually too young to have learned a legend as ancient as that, Sesshoumaru" Totosai took the easier way out, careful not to accidentally offend the Taiyoukai's dangerously irascible ego yet another time.

"What legend are you talking about"

The old sword smith closed his eyes as he began digging in his memories.

"Your Father once told me, if I recall right, the Treasures were supposed to be _Hecate no Megami_'s mementos, capable of bestowing their keeper with the power to control the three primordial worlds, Hell, Earth, and Heaven" he explained, scratching his chin in deep thought.

"And you say these 'Treasures' were not the swords themselves; Sounga, Tetsusaiga, and Tenseiga" the Youkai Lord stated.

Totosai hastily shook his head.

"Of course not. The swords came from your Father's fangs and no mortal being, demon or not, could have given birth to such powers just by themselves; I don't think they're forces that creatures of this world are meant to so easily tamper with… Your Father was no such fool: the three ancient Treasures I speak of were put under his care due to him being the West's Sacred Guardian; that's the reason he'd ever had them in his possession in the first place, and that their powers were eventually passed onto him, making it possible for his fangs to be used in the crafting of such mighty swords"

"Are you saying those relics are the reason the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga were made to be so powerful, thus the Sounga could've been made out of one of his fangs as well?" Sesshoumaru asked the first question that popped into his mind.

"He never told me for sure" the weapon smith sighed, already not liking where this was going, "but it is possible"

The Demon Lord raised an eyebrow.

Interesting…

"What else did my Father tell you?"

"He only said the Queen of the Heavens herself had given the relics to him, charging him with their protection so they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands; for if that were to happen, only disasters would occur for sure... He was to hide them all in three separate places of the Earth, which only he knew the whereabouts of"

"The queen of the heavens?" the Demon Lord inquired aloofly "Do you speak of the Queen of the Moon, of Queen Neherenia?"

The sword smith turned to him flabbergasted.

"Yes; I mean, no. She _was_ ruler of the moon… …but that was not her name…"

"_Koumokuten" a tall, long-haired silhouette called._

"_My Lady?"_

_The royal figure beckoned him to follow her into a less spacious, shadowy private room._

"_These three items you see here are the Triple Lunar Goddess, Hecate's memento" she informed him._

_The man gazed down at the three objects ceremoniously laid on a carpet with an expression of curiosity._

"_The Key opens the gate to the Underworld" the woman explained "it unlocks the secrets of the occult mysteries and knowledge to the afterlife. The Rope, on the other hand, symbolizes the umbilical cord of rebirth and renewal; such is the prerogative of Nature…"_

"_And… the Dagger?" he asked when she didn't continue._

"_The Dagger, the Athame, is a symbol of ritual power. Its purpose is to direct energy, building a bridge between what's visible and that which isn't…The Bridge which enables us to seize our own destiny and truly change it by borrowing the secrets of Heaven. Do you know the name of that bridge, Koumokuten?"_

_The man didn't hesitate._

"_Magic"_

_The royal nodded, pleased. _

"_These ancient relics, I will give to you"_

"_My Queen" the silver haired General was startled, "I don't understand…" _

_The regal woman put a hand softly over his mouth, effectively silencing him, before giving a tender understanding smile. _

"_Darkness is closing on us, so these treasures are no longer safe here. You must take them to Earth with you now, I entrust you with their protection. What you must know though is that, as sentient beings as they are, their presence will change you. The longer you have them, the more they'll be mixing their essence into your own, enabling you to harness their soul" _

_She grew even more serious as she finished in a warning tone._

"_Use them to aid you in your duty as Cardinal Guardian, my dear Inu no Taisho, but never underestimate their power, never abuse it, or use it for personal gain… for when you do, it'll bring their curse on you and upon your bloodline" _

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

GLOSSARY

'Meidou Zangetsu-ha' means Path to the Underworld Morning Moon (or Cutting Moon) Destruction, and is the offensive technique which the Sword of Heaven, Tenseiga gains after Totosai reforged it.

Inu no Taisho' is the title by which Myoga and Hosenki address Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's late father, and means "Lord of Dogs" or "Dog General".

'Koumokuten' is one of the names used to refer to the Cardinal Guardian of the West in Chinese and/or Japanese mythology. Here I use it only as another title.

'_Hecate no Megami' _means the Goddess Hecate.

'Hecate' in Greek mythology "…was the Godddess of the Moon, of the Underworld and of magic (...) She rode a chariot pulled by dragons —does the name "Ah-Un" ring any bells?— (...) She was called the triple goddess (because of) her threefold power (...) namely in Heaven, in Earth and in Hell —Tenseiga, Tessaiga and Sounga, the three swords of Sesshoumaru's late father, ring any bells?— (...) At night, during the dark moon, Hecate would be seen walking the road of Greece with her howling **_dogs_** and torches (...) Hecate and her **_dogs_** are said to journey over the graves of the dead to search for souls of the departed and they carry them to refuge in the underworld... (…) …Her sacred emblems are a Key, a Rope, and a Dagger (symbols of her threefold power)…"

**A/N: Yes, the 'Queen of the Heavens' is NOT Queen Neherenia… (wink and evil grin) How many already guessed the relics' so called 'curse' had something to do with Inu no Taisho's and Izayoi's deaths, and with some of the misfortunes his sons have been going through? Please don't forget to share your thoughts!**


	6. The Locket

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon._

Chapter Five.

'The Locket'

"_Niraya-sama"_

_The black haired, red eyed half-demon looked down at the blond girl sitting by his side._

"_Yes, Usagi?"_

"_What is the moon like?"_

_He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"_

"_It's just…every time we come up here, at night, to sit by this lake and watch the moon, I can't help but wonder what it's like. So distant and mystical, yet I know it's not as perfect… Somehow, I know its surface is not as smooth as we see it, that it's full of craters, and mountains and valleys… Besides, the moon doesn't emit its own light, does it? It's the light of the sun that reflects upon it, making it brilliant and beautiful…" the girl answered in a whisper, as if mystified by her own words._

_He wasn't as convinced though._

"_But Usagi" he began, chuckling and tightening his arm around her to give her more warmth, "how can the light of the sun reflect on the moon, and be the one that gives it brilliance, when the sun's already turned in for the night, at the time the moon comes alive?" _

_The girl furrowed her eyes and bit her lip for a moment, deep in thought, before answering._

"_I…I can't explain it, Niraya-sama…" she put a hand to her temple, her gaze lowering to the ground. "That's because the Sun is still there, somehow, I just know it…I just don't know why…" she explained meekly and sighed, closing her eyes. "…Why do I keep remembering things like this, Niraya-sama? Why do I suddenly know things nobody else seems to understand, see things in a different way than everyone else does? You've said I come from another world, but it's so confusing!" she cried "If I come from another world, then why does everything here look so familiar?!" _

_She took a small pause and continued._

"_I know what day and night and the sun and moon are, I know what utensils to eat with and how; without being told, I know to fasten the obi around my kimono and even understand the language when you or the others speak to me" she exclaimed anxiously. "All those things I recognize and wonder if, perhaps, the world that I came from was not so different…but then, then I remember more…Names, sounds and images; imprinted in my head like fire…Objects… Strange knowledge and ideas that nobody else here possesses… making it impossible for that world that I came from to have been anything like this one any longer, if at all…and it's all so tangled and mixed up that it doesn't make any sense…I don't know what to expect, what is real… and what is a figment of my imagination"_

_She turned to look up at him, pleading._

"_What's a 'toilet', Niraya-sama? And a 'radio', a 'TV', a 'school' and a 'Crown Arcade'? What are an idol's purpose, and a sailor scout's? Why do I remember what some strange food called 'pizza' tastes like?"_

_She was on the verge of crying, eyes cast down once again. He was staring at her wordlessly, his expression unreadable. _

"_It's so confusing, and lonely…I just want it to disappear from my head"_

* * *

"I can't believe that I lost it!" 

The blond girl whimpered in dismay as she frantically searched every place of her subterranean chamber. She'd just finished dressing in that odd and otherworldly outfit that her Lord had also delivered, when she noticed its absence.

She couldn't find it anywhere.

"Where… where is it? I can't have lost it, the present that Niraya-sama gave me just yesterday night!"

"_What is this?"_

"_It's a present, a locket that plays music. When I found you, along with these clothes, this locket was one of the things you carried with you…"_

"Please… tell me that I didn't lose it!" tears were starting to surge in her silvery deep blue eyes.

He was the one that had given it to her, and it'd only been the night before, but that was not the only reason. It was not because it probably had to do with her past either… It was a symbol of their bond and trust, of one of the few true possessions she really had in this world. When not even her own identity and memories were certain, her new locket was. The locket was real, not imaginary; not an image inside her mind of which she could never ever be sure whether it'd existed outside of her dreams. It was there, tactile, hard, smooth… real.

It didn't arise too many unwanted questions regarding her sanity, and she clung to it as much as she clung to her beloved Niraya.

It was comforting…

Was it possible that she had left it behind?

There?

Back there?

…By the lake?

In the open.

…_Outside…?_

Niraya-san would surely get angry if he found out she had gone outside in broad daylight, but she had no other choice.

"I've got to find it…"

She had made up her mind.

* * *

"You sneaky little wench! You think you can steal from us?!" a furious voice yelled in her ear. 

"I wasn't stealing! It was mine! You're the ones who've taken it from me; please, I ask you to give it back!"

"Taken from you?! Wench, when we found it, it was lying there on the ground all by itself! Now you come, try to snatch it from our bag behind our backs, and to top it when we catch you red-handed want to make us believe that it was yours in the first place, and that you'd dropped it near the lake by accident? What kind of fools do you take us for?"

"You're hurting me! Please! Let me go!"

"Too late for that one. No one steals from a band of thieves and lives to tell the tale; didn't' you know that, missy?!" the first bandit said, shaking her roughly as she tried to struggle.

"A weak demon like you should think twice before attempting to deceive dangerous humans like us!" a third thief who until then hadn't spoken said laughing.

The now stunned girl gaped at him like a fish.

"De-Demon?!"

"You're right" the second thief nodded, giving her a quick assessing look "with that hair and eye color and those weird clothes, she's obviously a demon posing as a woman!"

"Let's burn her!" ordered the one who seemed to be the leader "That'll teach her not to mess with our kind"

* * *

Some miles from there, a certain Sword of Heaven started pulsing. 

"Jaken, I'll be back later..."

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

GLOSSARY 

'Niraya' is another word for 'Naraka' (Hell), the word that gave Naraku his name.

Someone-'sama' is used to show defference to a superior, a king or a saint.

Someone-'san' is used to show formality or polite respect when addresing another.

The 'Sword of Heaven' is Tenseiga.

**A/N:** **You probably know what I was going to say, so I won't say it (grins). It's just for this chapter though (winks). However, authors DO need to feel the LOVE! Show what you guys can do! (wink wink nudge nudge)**


	7. Tsumi

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, and this is written just for fun. _

Chapter Six.

'Tsumi'

"Wha-what?!" the girl, Usagi, was getting more and more afraid by the minute.

"You can't fool us" the leader hissed as he approached, giving her a look of absolute contempt.

_Demon? _

"We've already found out what you really are!" he shouted once he was before the terrified girl, slapping her brutally.

Like strong gusts of wind that forced dew-drops to sputter out of a shaken flower, crystal tears flew from her eyes as the force of the impact sent her to the ground bouncing like a rag doll.

'_Demon…'_

'…_Is that what I am?'_

"Wench, now that we know, you're _really_ going to pay for trying to ransack us, you FILTHY DEMON BITCH!" the second bandit yelled so loudly that it left her ears ringing.

Then he spit scornfully on her tumbled form whereas one word echoed repeatedly in her mind.

_Why_

Hesitantly the young woman looked up at her captors, her stomach struggling with newfound urge to vomit, so great was her panic at the malicious intent evident on their faces.

"Don't! PLEASE!" she begged as she noticed them closing in on her.

_Why…_

All she got for response was their bodies towering over her defenseless self, casting menacing shadows. Soon, the once peaceful clearing began filling with the sounds of screams and laughter.

"**Aaaaahhh!!**"

The frightened girl cried several times in pain, curling into a ball and covering herself with her arms as much as she could while the bandits kept shouting and kicking her viciously on her sides.

_Why?!_

"Dirty youkai!"

"Please!"

Her plead once more fell on deaf ears.

_Why were they doing this?_

The pain.

The pain; not only of her body, but of her heart…

—_was this the reason she wasn't allowed outside? …Could this be the reason he said it wasn't safe?—_

…it was unbearable…

"Stop!"

Unbeknownst to her, a golden crescent moon started blazing on her forehead as one more anguished, desperate scream tore from her mouth between her sobs.

"NIRAYA-SAMA!!!"

_**

* * *

**__**Away from there, in the mists of a dark subterranean fortress, red eyes suddenly snapped open…**_

* * *

At the outskirts of that very clearing, however, another pair of golden eyes watched a band of thieves, who were ganged up in a circle, suddenly get blasted away by the powerful wave of a sprout of light that unexpectedly surged in the middle; all the while a humming sword was pulsing strongly at his side.

* * *

"…**_Usagi…"_**

* * *

The leader got back to his feet from where he had landed awkwardly; staring puzzled at his sprawled comrades. 

Turning towards the blond-haired figure still on the ground, the contempt in his gaze became pure hatred.

"Foul youkai abomination!!"

Rushing back to her, he yanked the beaten youth up roughly by the arm, his crushing grip eliciting another cry of pain while his other hand went to unsheathe his weapon.

"Doesn't matter if you're not as weak as we thought, you're going to die right now!" he exclaimed in rage as he raised his sword, ready to strike down.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" a cold voice stated.

* * *

"**Lord Niraya" the female detachment whispered, bowing in humble greeting.**

**The head of the long haired male didn't even turn to acknowledge her respectful salute.**

"**Bring her to me" he merely ordered grimly "tell Butterfly I want to see her"**

**The servant flinched, and the dark hanyou's profile gave a small smile, which sent shivers up her spine.**

"**She isn't here, is she?" it was more of a statement than a question.**

**At her silence, he interrogated his detachment with a dangerous voice.**

"**Where is she" **

"**I— I don't know"**

**Those words caused him to shift around so he could pin her with his scrutinizing stare.**

"**Please correct me if I'm wrong. Had I, or had I not, asked you to watch her?"**

**The tone belied threat, and that did nothing but raise her apprehension. Deep crimson pupils inside purple-colored irises instantly widened nervously as she stared at him. **

"**I tried to stop her, Naraku-sama, I really did! I had told her not to move from her chamber, but that girl can be so stubborn and impulsive!—"**

**Blood red orbs flashed.**

"**Tsumi" he interrupted her, slowly asking one more time "_Where. Is. Usagi?_" **

To Be Continued.

* * *

GLOSSARY 

'Tsumi' means "sin" in Shinto religion.

**A/N: Hope this wasn't too much emotion for one chapter, but I really wanted to convey Usagi's emotions in that scene, and we all know in those feudal times people could still get pretty violent, as the Inuyasha series have showed. Please tell me your thoughts. **


	8. Changing hands

_Disclaimer: I don't own either Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, and this is just for fun._

Chapter Seven.

'Changing Hands'

_The leader got back to his feet from where he had landed awkwardly; staring puzzled at his sprawled comrades. _

_Turning towards the blond-haired figure still on the ground, the contempt in his gaze became pure hatred._

"_Foul youkai abomination!!"_

_Rushing back to her, he yanked the beaten youth up roughly by the arm, his crushing grip eliciting another cry of pain while his other hand went to unsheathe his weapon._

"_Doesn't matter if you're not as weak as we thought, you're going to die right now!" he exclaimed in rage as he raised his sword, ready to strike down._

"_I wouldn't do that if I were you" a cold voice stated._

"Who the hell are you!" the bandit leader didn't loosen his grasp on the young girl's arm as he turned to face the newcomer, a look of displeased surprise setting firmly at the silhouette watching them from the trees.

When a pristine figure stepped out from the shadows the man's eyes widened slightly.

"I have business with the girl" the stranger told him curtly "Do not interfere"

The thief only managed to stare at him in doubt. _What was this -judging by his armor- Chinese Warlord doing strolling around a forest in Japan, completely alone, and unattended? _

…_Further more, what could he possibly want with an oddly attired lesser demon? _

The bandit inwardly snorted.

'_The heck should I care' _he thought begrudgingly _'if he wants to mess with me he has other thing coming'_

"I don't know who you are, where you come from or what you want with this wretch, foreigner, but we're not on the continent so you better know your place" The leader warned with a sneer. He pulled the girl forward so suddenly he nearly made her stumble "She tried to steal from us and we have the right to punish her for her deeds as we see fit!"

Then he proceeded to squeeze the battered girl's limb even more; Usagi's eyes were tightly shut as she tried to fight the pain, since she'd failed to throw the man off her. Tears were falling down her cheeks uninhibited as she bit her lip in her torment.

"ITAI!!!" (_"It hurts!!!"_)

"A worthless thief, expecting to be treated fairly? Ironic" the stranger drawled, approaching calmly "Quite distasteful… coming from a deserter samurai"

The man was thrown back by this. _How in the world did he know?!_

"Mainland scum!" he growled enraged, aiming the tip of his rusty sword at the newcomer "Don't be so presumptuous!"

The stranger merely continued approaching them, even more threateningly.

"Get out of my way… Do not make me repeat myself"

The bandit leader looked taken aback for another moment before he gathered his wits at the sight of his comrades coming to stand by his side, and met the not-quite-request with a malevolent smirk.

"And if I don't?" he taunted, crossing his arms as one of his partners took hold of the golden haired 'demon'.

"You're gonna punish us?" one of the others said derisively.

"Yeah" nodded another human smugly "you and what army?"

"Stay out of this, foreigner. This is none of your business! The youkai trash is ours to deal with!" the one holding the girl crushed her shoulders mercilessly, making her whimper.

Golden eyes glared at the group icily.

Glancing at the female briefly, he threw the males an even more derogatory look.

"Youkai? …That woman is _no_ youkai" he stated disparagingly "can't you pathetic human worms even recognize a member of your own race?"

"Nani?" (_"What?!"_) the thieves exclaimed in shock, taking a step back as the stranger's extended hand started glowing green.

"Insolent ningens, should you continue to fail to step away… this Sesshoumaru shall educate you on the manners of _true youkai_!" he snarled throwing out his poisonous whip, which cut one of the humans' sword in two.

"NANI?!" the man cried, looking at his broken weapon in fearful realization "He's not human either!"

The leader kept glaring at the stranger murderously, still irked by the stranger's former reference to his desertion.

"Don't be stupid! He's just one man" he refuted, charging at him head-on with his sword raised "I'll finish him off!!"

"Fool" the silver haired one whispered, closing his eyes as he took a step back to throw the green-energy whip in his direction, stopping the bandit swiftly as the poison _melted_ the flesh in his throat.

The man fell to the ground, dead.

* * *

"**Oh boy" high above them, purple pupils surrounded by crimson irises regarded the situation below with uncanny dread. **

"**Master Naraku is not going to like this…" Aku, the twin brother of Tsumi muttered as he flew away.**

* * *

Sesshoumaru's golden orbs snapped up immediately at the unexpected whiff of Naraku's scent. 

'_A detachment?'_

However, his search only met with the empty peaceful sky.

Meanwhile, in front of the Demon Lord a dishevelled band of rogue human bandits was shaking visibly, their overwhelmed gazes glued to the melting corpse of their fallen leader.

"P-please forgive us, Taiyoukai-sama… We didn't know she was yours!" another man stuttered as the one holding the blonde motioned her forward.

Shifting his look back on them, Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the mere implication that that human was _his_ _in any way_, but the trembling individual only kept his crazed tirade.

"If we had, we wouldn't have touched her, we- we'll return your female at once!"

The rest of them nodded instantly; then the thief behind Usagi pushed her ahead so hastily, that she ended falling at the Demon Lord's feet like she was being offered to some white-haired deity as a sacrifice by his terrified mortal worshippers.

"Get out of my sight" he ordered in a dead-pan tone.

"Here you have your trinket back!" the last bandit shouted, dropping the locket near the blonde as he rushed to join his comrades who'd already turned-tail to escape as fast as they could.

The distraught Usagi watched them run away with dismay before turning around to stare fearfully in the eyes of her new captor.

**To Be Continued.**

**

* * *

**

GLOSSARY

'Deserter samurai'; in Japan's Sengoku period some samurais deserted from the army to become smugglers, bandits and wokou (pirates). The Leader was a deserter samurai, that's why he was able to recognize Sesshoumaru's armor as foreign.

'Mainland' means continental Asia; the leader thought Sesshoumaru was Chinese or something because of the foreign style of his armor (which according to wikipedia IS made in a mainland style, I'm not making this up).

'Ningen' means "human".

'Aku', like 'Tsumi', means "sin" in Shinto religion.


	9. Breakdown

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Eight.

'Breakdown'

"_Here you have your trinket back!" the last bandit shouted, dropping the locket near the blonde as he rushed to join his comrades who'd already turned-tail to escape as fast as they could._

_The distraught Usagi watched them run away with dismay before turning around to stare fearfully in the eyes of her new captor._

"Girl"

Usagi swallowed hard, terrified blue eyes looking up to meet with a steely golden gaze focused intensely on her defenseless form. She whimpered again, but this time it was not from the pain.

_What was this being going to do, kill her himself? Was that why he had fought the bandits away?_

Because looking down at the pile of smoking ash that used to be the corpse of the leader, she somewhat doubted this silver-haired man to be her knight in shinning armor. Not that his armor wasn't shinny… it was just that after what she'd seen, she knew she couldn't well be sure of his nice intentions.

The blonde, still on the ground, slightly backed away as the stranger looked at her down his nose.

"Girl" he repeated.

"Please…" she begged in fear as he slowly came closer to her and she crawled backwards, trying to scoot away with her eyes still trained on him, watching out for what he might do "I-I didn't do anything! I didn't mean!—"

"Girl" he interrupted her, examining her with a calculating glance "are you related to the girl Kagome, the one that travels with the half-breed, Inuyasha?"

The unexpected question made her pause in her actions.

"Huh?" _What was this all about? _"No! I don't- I don't know anyone by those names" she stuttered as a response.

'_Not that I know that many people… at least not that I remember, anyway'_ she thought to herself, desperately wishing her answer would satisfy him, making him realize she was not the one he thought or whatever, so he'd leave her alone.

Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, wasn't buying it. He was looking down at the human girl sprawled on the ground as she tried to scoot away from him slowly… very much so; probably so he wouldn't notice, which had obviously failed since he _had_ noticed, and if he had been anyone else but Sesshoumaru he would have used it to tease the girl in amusement.

As it was, though, the thought that was currently on his mind was the question of how it could be possible for two girls to be the only ones in the entire land to use such unique kind of clothing, and not know each other or be connected in any way… There were differences alright, like the length of the skirt and its color; the fact that this girl's shirt was sporting a dark blue bun on the front, over her chest, with a strange heart-shaped yellow medallion in the middle, whereas the other girl, Inuyasha's companion usually wore a tie there. Also the material of certain articles of clothing seemed diverse, but put together all this differences were minimal, considering the incredible similarity in their clothing's design and general arrangement… There was no way on earth that this could be just a wild coincidence, of that he was sure.

However, the girl appeared already too close to a nervous breakdown for him to even try to bring up that evidence, and he needn't make it worse if he was ever going to get from her the other information he desired, without her fainting right away and wasting more of his time. For now, he decided clenching his teeth, for now he would let her have her way…

…Just for now.

Besides, the truth was that more pressing matters were already nagging at his head: for example, the fact that this human's distress had been the first thing to make the Tenseiga start pulsing after a long time… let alone that the Tenseiga'd never pulsed and hummed that strongly ever before, never like that in the few times it'd requested that he used it. Yet there it'd been, insistently leading him to this place, when the supposed victim in question wasn't even dead yet. That alone was intriguing enough to make this girl deserving of at least a small amount of his attention, for he already knew by now that whenever this sword started pulsing it usually had to do with an important message that his Father had wanted him to receive; he'd learned not to so easily dismiss the Fang's unwanted meddling since the time it had compelled him to revive that otter youkai so he and Inuyasha could get a decisive clue on the last missing jewel shard's whereabouts, the place where Naraku would most likely show up next... Sesshoumaru was certain it'd been the essence of his Father's will that was still imbibed in the Fang what'd acted through it to make things happen that way.

Whatever the reason, he suspected right now the Fang had wanted him to save this girl from her predicament just so that he could get something important from her, whether it be some clue on the way for him to increase his own grasp of the sword's abilities, or concerning another one of his father's challenges, or a vital piece of information about Naraku…

Which lead us to the other issue that was bothering him: the fact that after months of hearing nothing from the dark hanyou, the wretch had chosen this exact moment to send a detachment to spy on him. Why now of all times? He was sure this wasn't a coincidence either…

His gaze darkened threateningly once again and he growled suddenly as he'd made an important notice. "Wench… why do you smell like the vile half-breed, Naraku?"

The blonde only looked at him bewildered.

"Who do you say, Sir?" _'Calling me wench again? Are all males like this in the surface? And what's with that "half breed" fixation??' This man's attitude was confusing! It was scaring her even more than the thieves! _

When she saw him scowl, she was afraid of his anger and pleaded in haste "Sir! You must have the wrong person; I don't know any of the names you speak of!"

The Demon Lord's eyes squinted in a skeptical, thoroughly displeased fashion.

_So this was how things were going to be? …Fine…_

_He would make her regret that uncooperative behavior…_

"On your feet, ningen" he ordered, turning around "You're going to come with this Sesshoumaru"

"What?" she cried, staying where she was on the ground and watching him begin to walk away as if expecting her to follow "Why?!" _'Oh no, I beg you!'_

He threw her a scathing look over his shoulder. "Don't try this Sesshoumaru's benevolence, human, unless you want him to finish you off were you stand"

But the motion backfired terribly from its original purpose: instead of pushing the frozen girl into action, like the Taiyoukai wanted, it made her all the more apprehensive…

"Sir, I- I don't understand! I'm not...- please! There must be a misunderstanding!"

He didn't respond, but merely resumed his stoic pace, and too fearful of what might happen if she didn't, she arose and followed.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, she reunited a bit of courage.

"Where are you taking me?"

Again, he didn't reply.

"Where are we going? What do you want with me?!" she begged.

Silence.

Crazy with dread, she finally asked the question that'd been plaguing her mind "Are you… _are you going to kill me?_"

Tears were streaming again from her eyes. Sniffing, his lips curled with distaste.

"What a pathetic creature"

Hearing that, Usagi was enraged. It sounded like an offhanded affirmation, but the capricious ambiguity of it made her blood boil.

_First the bandits, now this?_

…_If only she'd stayed in the fortress! If only she'd obeyed Niraya-sama! _

_Was her anguish never going to end?!_

She suddenly couldn't take it anymore.

"If you're going to kill me, stop dallying around the issue and DO IT already!!" she demanded so loudly that Sesshoumaru turned to look at her sharply when she shrieked "Are you waiting for me to get distracted, is that it? What kind of sick evil creature are you?!"

She'd barely had time to finish her outburst when a clawed hand shot to wrap around her throat, squeezing in warning.

**To Be Continued.**


	10. Riddle

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Nine.

'Riddle'

_She suddenly couldn't take it anymore._

"_If you're going to kill me, stop dallying around the issue and DO IT already!!" she demanded so loudly that Sesshoumaru turned to look at her sharply when she shrieked "Are you waiting for me to get distracted, is that it? What kind of sick evil creature are you?!"_

_She'd barely had time to finish her outburst when a clawed hand shot to wrap around her throat, squeezing in warning._

Usagi's flew up instantly to try and get him to release her, but as much as she tried to pry his fingers from her neck they just wouldn't budge. The Demon Lord kept a steady grip on her throat as he dared her with his eyes to finish her sentence. But Usagi wouldn't give him the pleasure, no… If this was it, if this was the way she was going to die, then she decided she'd go with some dignity. Even if he already saw her as one, she wasn't going to act like a coward anymore; so instead of closing her eyes and waiting for the end she would meet his stare head-on as he proceeded to take the life away from her.

Her resigned resolute eyes silently dared him right back…

…and just like that, he suddenly ceased his hold, letting her fall to the ground.

Shocking her beyond words.

"You're more trouble than you're worth" he muttered turning around and walking away.

Once again Usagi only stared after him mutely in total bewilderment, though this time it was for different reasons.

As she watched him get farther and harder away from her in a somewhat dignified resolve, something about the way he'd last spoken didn't seem quite right with her…

And that was the moment it hit her.

Her eyes widened.

She felt something inside her clench.

_As a tiny voice in her subconscious suggested that she could have misinterpreted the entire situation…_

…_even if she wasn't completely sure… _

"I'm sorry"

It'd been nothing more than a low whisper, but the poised Taiyoukai stopped in his track.

He slowly turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. Then, as fast as he'd paused, he turned back forward and resumed his pace.

"Go home, human"

* * *

**From his hiding place in the shadows, Aku sighed in great relief: the Demon Lord was finally going away, _without _taking the blonde with him. **

'**_I don't even want to think what Master Naraku would have done to Tsumi and me if we didn't return with her safe and sound…'_**

**He looked down at the "makeshift Fuyoheki's" stone fragment in his hand. **

'**_Good for me that Tsumi gave me this which prevents my aura and scent from being detected for a couple of minutes… that Taiyoukai was pretty close to spotting me last time…' _He shuddered. He _really_ didn't want to imagine what the Youkai Lord could have done to him if that had happened. He'd already heard stories from Byakuya, his other fellow detachment, about what he was capable of. **

**Shifting in the direction he'd seen the golden haired girl taking, another concern was preoccupying the detachment…**

…**what exactly had the she inadvertently revealed to the Demon Lord, and how much had he already figured out.**

* * *

Usagi'd been left where she was, overwhelmed and completely emotionally drained by the very recent events of the day…

Days were never this eventful inside Lord Niraya's fortress.

As she'd gotten on her feet again to return to the place where she'd left her locket behind, abandoned after all that struggle with the bandits due to the sheer state of terror she'd been when left all alone with the seemingly even more dangerous silver-haired man; she marveled at the way the birds' cheerful chirping and the present general quietness of the forest clashed so greatly with all the stress and violence she'd been subjected to in the past hours.

Lifting the sleeves of her top clothing, she examined the condition in which her arms had been left, wincing as she touched the tender burning skin, knowing for sure she'd be sporting horrible bruises black-blue-and-green the following morning.

And if Niraya-sama happened to see, Usagi was sure all the madder he would be at her reckless little ruse…

…For a couple of days, she would have to do her best to avoid him.

That is, if she _ever_ found her way home in this solitary part of the forest.

…"_Go home, human"…_

The silver-haired man's words came back to her uninvited. The girl's hands went up to her throat…

It didn't hurt half as much as the soon-to-be bruises in her arms and shoulders.

Still…

What'd been his intentions in the end? What had he wanted from her at all?

"_Girl… are you related with the girl Kagome, the one that travels with Inuyasha?"_

"_Why do you smell like the vile half-breed Naraku, wench?!"_

Inuyasha…

Naraku…

She didn't have the slightest idea who those people could be. It was all confusing enough to give her a head ache. It was obvious that man had mistaken her for someone else, or had thought she had relations with some people that she knew she didn't have relations with.

_And from his attitude, it was a safe guess they probably weren't people he liked very much… _

It had to be.

Usagi positively had a head ache by now. _Then why save her, then scare the hell out of her, force her to follow him, belittle her and manhandle her… only to let her go? _

Why **had he** let her go? Had he realized his error? …Even after she had insulted him…

_May be… he wasn't so bad after all?_

The girl's head snapped up when she heard a voice calling her.

"Usagi-sama… thank the Kami that I found you"

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

GLOSSARY

'The Kami' means "the gods".

'Byakuya', also known as Mugen no Byakuya ("dreamy Byakuya") is the last of Naraku's detachments in the manga, and he's a bit afraid of Sesshoumaru.

'Aku' is Tsumi's twin brother and both of them are made-up detachments of Naraku… their reason for existing is Usagi, and more of this will be revealed later.

The "makeshift Fuyoheki stone" is not the real one, the one that Naraku had stolen from the mountain demon Gakusanjin due to its aura-concealing properties, and which he'd given to the infant, Akago, Naraku's physical heart after Mount Hakurei so that Akago could conceal his presence their enemies. That Fuyoheki got sucked into Miroku's wind tunnel, and the one Aku speaks of is another fabricated stone that kind of serves the same purpose. _More about this will be revealed later. _


	11. A home to return to

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, and this fanfiction is just for fun and not for profit._

Chapter Ten.

'A home to return to'

Despite the previously sunny day, it'd started raining quite unexpectedly a moment ago and was pouring copiously now.

His long silver tresses were already matting to his shirt and the skin of his ears, face and neck.

Wordlessly, he continued strolling as his clothing and hair quickly became more and more soaked.

To the safely distant onlooker, the sight of the regal Dog Demon Lord drenched in water like a sopping wet puppy would have probably appeared kind of cute, but the Inu Taiyoukai in question wasn't finding it pleasing in the least.

'_How bothersome'_

Before finishing that thought, Sesshoumaru had already summoned his youki-cloud to take off flying back towards the place where his ward and retainer were surely lifting the camp by now, already waiting for him to show up so they could all go in search of some dry shelter.

As he did so, he pondered on the yellow haired woman he'd just encountered, saved, captured and released in the woods.

He'd thought that since the Tenseiga had led him to her, he might as well use her to lure Naraku in. The girl's strange attire, so similar to that of Inuyasha's companion and the unexpected display of power she had shown when he'd come upon the place where the thieves had been tormenting her, made it possible for him to think there was the chance that she might be a miko as well, of the same kind that could sense the shards of the Shikon no Tama even from a distance, and if that was the case then it made sense that Naraku'd send a minion to recruit her for his own services. Given she even smelled like him, it'd sounded as a reasonable stratagem at the time to keep the human around for a while to force the detachment lurking around to confront him sooner or later.

In the end he'd had no other choice but to let the girl go because her terrified constant sniveling and hyperventilating behind him was distracting and had already started to get on his nerves. By the time she had so unabatedly screamed at him, it'd taken a good amount of his self control not to snap her neck just to regain some peace and quiet.

And the minion hadn't even shown up to try and save the human's hide.

Disappointing.

'_What a waste of time'_

Perhaps he'd been wrong after all.

His eyebrows creased as he recalled her previous outburst.

"_Sir! You must have the wrong person; I don't know any of the names you speak of!—"_

That girl couldn't have been acquainted with Naraku… unless she'd been an unusually skilled actress; for she apparently didn't know the first thing about the dark hanyou.

"—_if you're going to kill me, stop dallying around the issue and DO IT already!! Are you waiting for me to get distracted, is that it? What kind of sick evil creature are you?!"_

Hn.

Trust humans to be so utterly impudent and misguided…

_Uninvited, unusually blue sparkling orbs flashed inside his memory._

…"_I'm sorry"…_

Pausing in mid-air, he turned slightly to look back in the direction he had come from.

He was a Demon Lord.

Of royal upbringing; he reminded himself.

He should be above silly matters as this.

But then… _why did he feel this bothersome intuition…? _

As if he'd left… something _important_ behind?

Why couldn't he stop the nagging feeling that insisted he should have directed the female to the nearest human village safely, as he had intended to do before she'd started behaving like such a burden?

Closing his eyes and turning swiftly, he quickened his flight once more; chastising himself for these useless reveries, he scowled…

This was not the moment to entertain such ludicrous thoughts.

…Besides —he decided with a snort—, it'd be the day he'd gone mental when he actually cared whether one inferior ningen other than Rin lived or died…

* * *

Aku was happy. 

Completely and utter pleased with himself.

Not only had he managed to get Usagi-sama back, relatively unscathed, without attracting the shrewd Youkai Lord's undesired attention.

But as the two made their way back the subterranean fortress, the rain that was currently poring down would take care of erasing the rest of their tracks…

Someone up there seriously _loved_ him.

Things couldn't have turned out better for the wellbeing of Tsumi and himself: Naraku wasn't going to outwardly feel the imperious need to get rid of them today.

…If she had been kidnapped by the Demon Lord… if those humans had killed her and she had died… it would have been ugly.

But thankfully, nothing of the sort had come to pass. He felt himself being washed away with relief as he watched the human girl walking behind him from the corner of his eye. His gaze focused on the forming bruises of her collarbone.

'_What to do about that?'_

Usagi-sama said something about avoiding 'Niraya-san' till her bruises were no longer visible, but he somehow didn't think that was going to work. Knowing Naraku-sama, he'd want and _demand_ to see her as soon as she set a foot back on the cave.

What could they possibly tell him? That she'd fell on her butt and tripped on the ground several times while trying to get her locket down the top of a tall tree from where an obnoxious bird had mischievously placed it?

_He doubted that would go very well…_

Mhm… may be he could dress Usagi-sama like a mummy and tell Master Naraku it was the new aristocratic fashion aboveground?

He might buy it, since he hadn't left the fortress in days…

_Which one can tell from the particularly putrid way he sometimes smells as of late… didn't his master ever wash when isolated down there? And if he didn't, in what better **else** did he employ his free hours? That's what Aku'd wanted to know…_

…_After all, the Shikon no Tama could only be polished so many times…_

He turned back towards his appointed protégée.

"Usagi-sama?"

As if snapping out of her thoughts, the blonde stopped to look at him startled.

"Huh?"

He smiled at her in a charming way.

"Do you want me to raise a barrier around you to shield you from the water?"

She studied him for a couple of seconds, as if weighing up his offer before smiling back and shaking her head.

"No. That's alright Aku, I rather like the rain"

The detachment's once bright smile turned into an understanding, regretful one. Being it was rare that the youth had the occasion of going outside, it was no wonder she would enjoy the feel of the raindrops on her skin.

"As you wish… Usagi-sama" he nodded, then slowly turned his back on her, resuming his pace and beckoning her forward.

"Let's go back home"

Unknown to him, the girl wasn't paying heed to himself anymore, but she'd hesitantly turned to look back in the direction of the clearing by the lake where she'd met the bandits and one Demon Lord.

"I wonder if he too has a home to go to…" she whispered very quietly, a wistful look on her face as she turned back around, stretching her strides to catch up with the retreating youkai.

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

**A/N: I hope you noticed I used Aku to make fun at his Master's expense… I want to make him a rather comical character (you guys tell me if I succeeded, 'kay?) and I love Naraku-kun too much to refrain myself, but don't worry: I love Sesshoumaru just as much and he'll probably be suffering the same treatment as soon as I get a suitable occasion… (grins)**


	12. Secrets

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi respectively, and this is not for profit._

Chapter Eleven.

'Secrets'

"Usagi" the voice called silkily.

The youth bathing in the vaporous, lather-filled pool squeaked, sinking lower into the water till it was up to her chin; next she began to turn around slowly, an expression of dubious insecurity and reservation on her face as her arms enveloped around her body to hide it from his prying eyes even more.

Yet her gaze lightened up instantly at the sight of him, because she was very happy to be able to see him again.

"Niraya-sama!"

The figure in the corner of the chamber bathed in shadows smiled slightly at her joyful greeting.

"And" he asked starting to walk towards her slowly "how is my favorite girl?"

Having missed his presence greatly, the blonde smiled up at him with sincere affection.

"I'm quite well, my Lord. Thank you" she told him with sentiment.

The man raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" the tone in his voice immediately told her something was wrong. Suddenly, his hand shot down through the dense foam and lather of the bath, startling her greatly and taking her wrist to pull her arm out of the water to inspect it under the dim light.

Blood red eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight of the bruises, and when they pinned her with an angered stare, Usagi gasped.

"Why, Butterfly?" he asked, betrayal and hurt in his voice "why do you lie to me? You never did before… have I done anything to no longer deserve your trust?"

"NO!" Usagi denied frantically, shaking her head so briskly that her golden tresses flew all around her "No, you've done nothing of the sort, Niraya-sama! You've been nothing but good to me ever since I arrived here… please don't think that way!"

"Then why?" he asked softly, still hurt in his tone, half-lidded blood red eyes regarding her with something akin to sadness "why feel the need to hide these bruises from my eyes? You know I'd never do anything to hurt you… don't you?"

Guilt washed away at her mercilessly at the sound of his words. Biting her lower lip, her head fell down in shame.

"I know"

"Then tell me what happened" he said, his hand lifting her chin up so that she would look him in the eye. "I want to hear it from your mouth"

"I-It's not that bad… I didn't want you to worry" she tried to explain, looking up at him with tormented eyes.

Something in the red orbs softened.

"Usagi… how can I not? Don't you know what you mean to me?" strong arms gathered her and, naked and dripping wet as she was, she was pulled up to rest against a powerful armored chest. "Butterfly… let me take care of you. You're the only angel…" he trailed off.

Her small delicate form was wrapped tenderly in his possessive embrace, and the blushing Usagi was thankful for the thick layers of foam that'd stayed on her chest, successfully covering her breasts. Her creamy skin flushed not only because of the intense heat as he continued.

"You're my better half, angel… I need you"

He kissed the top of her head and thought quietly to himself so that Usagi wouldn't hear it.

'_I want to be able to trust you'_

* * *

Outside the chamber, Aku was biting his nails in dismay while Tsumi scowled at him. 

"What?" he exclaimed, noticing her stare "You're not afraid of what she might tell him?!"

With a smirk Tsumi crossed her arms.

"Is that the only thing that worries you?"

Aku glared at his twin sister grudgingly.

"Well I don't see how you shouldn't also be worried, considering it was all your fault she was outside in the first place"

The female detachment sniggered.

"Oh little brother" she turned her back on him to lean her left shoulder against the wall, her arms still crossed "relax, will you? I've already spoken with Usagi. She will only tell him about the loss of her locket and the thieves, she won't tell him anything about you-know-what because that's what we agreed… Poor thing is so worried he might take his anger out on us that she won't mention a thing"

Her brother narrowed his bi-colored orbs at her.

"You shouldn't manipulate her like that"

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, sneering.

"Why? ...Because you've suddenly grown a conscience?"

Purple pupils surrounded by crimson irises, the exact opposite of hers —which were crimson pupils surrounded by purple irises— glared at her back disapprovingly.

"He might find out" he offered lamely as an excuse.

Irritated, she turned her head away.

"Oh for Kami's sake, Aku… stop being such a sissy" she said reprimanding "I told you, she won't say anything about Sesshoumaru... Won't you trust your own Big Sister?"

"Keep it down!!!" the other twin gasped in horror "Are you insane?! He might hear you!!"

However, the female detachment only laughed; apparently, she was not in the least concerned.

_Strange…_

Sighing, Aku decided to remain from then on in silence.

He couldn't wait for his Master and Usagi-sama to come out of that chamber, if only not to be forced to keep listening to Tsumi's cryptic answers.

* * *

"So it was just those humans that treated you this way?" 

Usagi nodded.

She hated keeping things from Niraya-sama, but it couldn't be helped if she wanted her beloved Aku and Tsumi to be free of some of the most serious responsibility.

"I just wanted to get my locket back, and they just… attacked me. Fortunately Aku arrived when he did, scaring them away…"

_Because, as Tsumi had said, what Niraya-san didn't know wouldn't hurt him… right?_

She gulped. She didn't want either of her guardians to suffer their Master's wrath just because she'd been blonde enough to trip herself into the clutches of some infamous silver-haired royal menace.

Meanwhile, Niraya-san was turning her face from one side to the other, his attention focused on the darkened skin of certain areas of her neck, and once again his red orbs flashed greatly.

"And those human skunks dared to put their filthy fingers on your throat?" he growled in complete fury.

"I, I—I guess so…" she said stuttering nervously "but, but I'm okay now!" she blurted out.

The black haired hanyou studied her for a moment.

"Very well" he conceded "that's what's truly important, isn't it?" he smiled at her again "I'm glad that you told me, angel. I'll leave you to your bath now" he said getting up with her on her arms and leaning forward to deposit her back into the pool "I have some things to discuss with your guardians if you don't mind"

He turned around and scurried out of the room. Watching him go, Usagi prayed deeply in her heart that she'd done right .

* * *

Once he'd exited the room and paused, both servants waiting outside shifted swiftly at the sight of their Master. 

"Naraku-sama…"

However, with his eyes on the ground, he seemed to be ignoring them.

"A butterfly's life is quite brief" he mumbled to himself, never noticing their shocked gazes, "so brief in fact, that keeping it caged would be too much of a cruelty, even for me … and I don't want my butterfly to suffer. Keeping her beauty all to myself would also be selfish; I want her to be able to spread her wings wide and soar the skies, glowing so bright; I want her to awaken her light so that everyone is blinded with her incomparable shine … I want everybody to be in awe and fear of her as they will be of _me_"

Naraku grinned pleasantly to himself.

"And I'll personally see to it that they soon will"

He glanced to his subordinates grimly.

"You will be charged with a new mission. It appears my butterfly's already started to want out, and I desire nothing else but to grant her wishes, so the two of you are to take Usagi outside every once in a while; let her roam as she pleases. But she's seen by no one and talks to no one… _Is. That. Clear_?"

"Yes, Naraku-sama"

"_And_" he said in warning "if there's ever a repeat of yesterday, it'll be your heads. Am I understood?"

This time, both detachments gulped and shivered noticeably.

"Y—yes… Naraku-sama"

The Master smirked, pleased at their reaction, before adding.

"Aku, Tsumi; I want you to go find those bandits that did that to her… and punish them accordingly" he ordered as he started to walk away.

Forgetting her previous fear, this time it was Tsumi's turn to smirk.

"Shall we kill them?" she asked eagerly.

Naraku paused to consider.

"If you want to; but I want them tortured first..."

He fixed them with a glare that meant business.

"... long and slow"

**To Be Continued.**


	13. What are you afraid of?

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon._

Chapter Twelve.

'What are you afraid of?'

"_Aku, Tsumi; I want you to go find those bandits that did that to her… and punish them accordingly" he ordered as he started to walk away._

_Forgetting her previous fear, this time it was Tsumi's turn to smirk._

"_Shall we kill them?" she asked eagerly._

_Naraku paused to consider._

"_If you want to; but I want them tortured first..."_

_He fixed them with a glare that meant business._

_"... long and slow"_

Dismissing the twin detachments, Naraku retreated to his own special chambers, where only he could enter and where he kept the Shikon no Tama when he wasn't carrying it with himself.

Taking the round object in his right hand, he pondered on the last events that'd been plaguing his attention: they were the only concern that'd been strong enough to take his attention from his new prized possessions lately.

_-The only thing that'd so recently become the most urgent, compelling nuisance-. _The dark Hanyou Lord's crimson rubies flashed again, like every time he was planning someone's unfortunate demise.

This time, it concerned a certain meddling female, and the mere thought of her suffering to come brought a look of devious mocking to his face.

"I know you've been around here, and the fact that you might suspect this place is in itself too dangerous. I can't allow you and your so called 'allies' to poise a threat to everything I've been working so hard to obtain; I can not let the two of you get this close to _them_ again. It is time I punish you for this intrusion and get rid of you permanently…"

Inspecting the smooth surface of the Jewel, he closed his fingers around it tightly as he contemplated his next move, his lips curling in a twisted smile.

"…_Foolish little girl…_"

* * *

Somewhere else, the girl known by the name Kagome sighed.

"I'm telling you Inuyasha, Kagome-sama is right when she says there was something very wrong with those mountains" the Buddhist monk by the name of Miroku tried to reason with the aforementioned half-demon for the fifth time. Though they had finally left the incredibly vast area weeks ago, none of them could yet shake the dreadful feelings those echoing gloomy caverns had given them.

"Heh, it was just an endless succession of lousy caves, scattered among an endless succession of mountains" the red-clad hybrid crossed his arms, continuing to shrug him off snottily "nothing to make such a fuss about. Probably a cemetery filled with skeletons and a convenient home for wandering lesser youkai inside; that's all"

Sango, the group's trained demon slayer, nodded at the inu-hanyou's words, confirming the information he had provided. "I heard once in my village in that area there used to be an old youkai settlement underground. One of those many caves must be the secret entrance to the abandoned subterranean fortress that once belonged to the ancient Okami tribes"

A sincerely amused Inuyasha chuckled. "You mean your people used to believe those flea-bitten wolfs had actually carried out some semblance of fancy human lifestyle? You've got to be kidding! ―"

"Inuyasha…" a narrowed eyed Kagome growled in warning. _'He BETTER not make a coarse comment at the expense of Sango's murdered loved ones!' _she thought with a bit of ire, but fortunately the hanyou had apparently caught her undertone, for he turned to her with a look of flustered guilt, for a second before he realized what he was doing and immediately covered it with a stubborn puff after.

Kagome hid a grin before listening to what Miroku had to say.

"If you don't mind, what I'd like to know is whether you happened to notice something unusual when you and Kagome-sama went scouting"

"I didn't smell anything if that's what you're asking" the hanyou answered him; an eyebrow slightly raised "I already told you there were no more Yama-Arashi left. Not here, not there, not anywhere else… It's been weeks since we last saw one"

The 'Yama-Arashi' were youkai hedgehogs that had attacked their little group under the influence of Naraku's shouki poison, remnants of which had been graciously left behind days before by their owner after the group's last encounter with the Dark Hanyou Lord, an encounter during which Naraku'd thoroughly succeeded in reabsorbing the infant Akago ―the baby who was his physical youkai heart― together with the fearsome golem that Akago'd been controlling, Moryoumaru, along with _almost_ succeeding in stealing the wolf Kouga's shikon shards as well… all this before getting away once again. It'd been a pretty close call for them all, specially Miroku; the only good points being that Naraku had _not_ gotten his dirty hands on Kouga's shards after all, and that the monk managed to absorb the baby Akago's infamous Fuyoheki stone (an aura concealing item) with his wind tunnel before falling unconscious from the poison.

…So it was that, once he'd been recovered enough and the possessed Yama-Arashi taken care of, they'd spent the following days attempting to track down any other possible surprises, and found nothing. A crappy couple of weeks, if you asked Inuyasha.

The last thing he needed was another round of Miroku's insufferable eternal questions.

"I'm not saying there are any more hedgehogs, Inuyasha" the monk finally supplied after a long pause "What I'm saying is that I believe we should go back to investigate those caves, or wait for Kouga so he can tell us what he knows. Being that he is a wolf demon, it is possible he might know this secret entrance Sango was mentioning earlier"

"What! We'd finally gotten rid of that mangy okami and you want to find him again?! Hell NO!!!" an aggravated hanyou shouted, only to be interjected by an equally exasperated little kitsune.

"Inuyasha, what a blockhead!! You should listen to someone else for once!" Shippo yelled at him non-too kindly from his perch on Kirara's back.

Said _blockhead_'s eye twitched as he pulled one sleeve up his arm. "**What **did you call me?!"

"You heard me!" the small fox-kit exclaimed righteously, sticking his tongue out at him "Miroku, Sango and Kagome all agree on something and you're the one that's always pulling us the other way! Don't you realize that Kagome also needs to rest?!"

"Um. Thank you Shippo, but that's not really necessary" the flustered girl from the future threw in, only to be ignored by the two arguing parties.

"**RUNT!** You're going to get it now for being such a loudmouth! ―" the furious inu-hanyou yelled as he threw himself over the fleeing rascal.

_Sigh._ "Sit"

_CRASH!!! _

_Yikes!_

"Ouch! Kagome, what did you do that for?!"

"Oops! Sorry Shippo!"

The other two could only laugh while she blushed in embarrassment watching the grumbling half-demon get up and off a much flattened little fox.

* * *

Once again, he didn't know the reason she was keeping so quiet.

It was granted most of the time she was that much reserved and not usually the talkative type. Neither was he in this times he supposed ―something that was for obvious reasons―, though months by her side had helped him learn to better discern her subtle mood swings.

Once again, she was preoccupied ―that he could tell as much― which wasn't really surprising if one thought about it…, quite the contrary. But he sensed that someway, somehow, this was different; this wasn't the usual concern.

What he guessed was that 'this' time, she was really, truly upset.

_And once again, she wasn't telling him why_

_Kikyo-sama…_

He was just a boy. He feared was that it would somehow concern him, and it was at times like this wished she would trust him better.

…Even when he knew he didn't have much to offer…

…Even though he sensed that, unsurprisingly, there probably wasn't much he could truly do to help.

The boy had to wonder sometimes, was it the jewel shard on his back which made him more intuitive?

"―_Kikyo-sama?"_

"_Um. Yes, Kohaku?"_

" _-Are you truly alright?"_ He was resolved to ask her that time…

_Pause. _

"_Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"_

_The childish demon exterminator's face was down set. "That wound looks worse and worse every day. I –I thought that, with the soul of Midoriko-sama ailing you, it'd eventually heal completely… but it hasn't, and then you have all those deep gashes and cuts everywhere-" _

'Which you won't tell me how you got' he had privately added in his head.

The midnight haired Miko had actually smiled. _"It is nothing. You don't need to worry so much about me, child; my body is made of hardened clay and soil, remember? It is very resistant" _

"_If you say so…but" his anxious stare returned to her face. _

Kikyo had given Kohaku a sideway glance.

_She regarded the boy in a contemplative way. _"_Do you mean to say, that it troubles you?" she inquired of him in a low murmur._

Kohaku'd blushed a bit pink, unable to lift his head to look her in the eye.

"_I just –I just wish I could help you get better, Kikyo-sama. I know for sure that, if something were to happen to you, I'd be so lost… I –I don't know what I'd do without you―" His tone filled with apprehension, as if nervous to voice what came next. _

"―_if you are ever gone, how am I supposed to protect this jewel shard all by myself?"_

_The Miko stared at him serenely._

"_You have nothing to fear. You still have your sister, have you not?" she noticed the way his back and shoulders tensed. "Don't you want to be reunited with her when this is over?" But the boy stayed silent, hence leaning her head to the side she continued. _

"_Tell me, child… What is it you're afraid of?" _

That was actually it, she'd been partly right. But it wasn't the only thing.

It was her also her evident unshared fears, which she was keeping to herself, under a cloak of silence, what was also eating his nerves away.

—'**_What is it you're afraid of?_**'—

…_Indeed._

* * *

GLOSSARY

'Okami' means either wolf or wolf demon.

**A/N: Hiya guys! I'm back!**


	14. From the sky

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon or anything else that you recognize. Only a few fragments in this chapter are translations I extracted from the Inuyasha manga. I'm not making any money out of this at all; the writing of this story is just to vent some stress and for my personal pleasure._

**WARNING:_ Major MANGA SPOILERS _for this chapter. Read on at your own cost… **

Chapter Thirteen.

'Threads from the sky'

"You mean to say you don't know where the exact entrance is?" a rather put off Miroku asked.

The wolf demon nodded in confirmation with a non-too-thrilled expression on his face "What I don't understand is why you lot would wanna go there. Like I said, the place's gone rack"

"Heh! For once we agree on something" Inuyasha muttered behind him, only to be compelled to silence by Kagome.

"We understand that, Kouga-kun; but what happens is that Miroku and I have gotten some very strange vibes from that place" the miko from the future told him "Are you sure no one in your clan would be able to tell us how to access that fortress?"

Rubbing his chin, the okami seemed to consider it for a while "Mhm no, not anyone in _our _clan, but someone from Ayame's clan might know"

An excited Kagome clasped her hands together "That's excellent, Kouga-kun! When can you take us to go find her?"

"_Excuse me?!_ When was _that_ decided?!"

"Oh, Inuyasha, please--"

"Kagome-sama is right, Inuyasha" interjected Miroku "Aside from the Yama-Arashi, we haven't found any traces of Naraku in almost an entire two-months. This is the only possible lead that we have"

Seeming hesitant all of a sudden, the addressed hanyou threw a sideway glance at the silent demon slayer.

"What do you think, Sango? Do you agree with them too?"

After a moment of thought, the brunette nodded "I say we should at least investigate what this is about"

At those words the silver-haired half demon lifted is nose, squaring his shoulders with a grunt. "Hn… alright. But don't blame me afterwards if this results to be a complete waste of time" he said in a conceding tone. Making his way towards the tree on which he intended to spend the night, he added "Now everyone get some sleep; we're heading for the northern lands tomorrow morning"

* * *

"_With this Shikon no Tama… I will become a true demon!"_

"_--INUYASHA!!!" _

―_a voice yells his name before an arrow pierces his heart―_

…_incredulous eyes see a woman's face full of anger and betrayal…_

"_K- Kikyo…!" _

**_-- --GASP -- --_**

A breathless Inuyasha briskly awoke in the middle of the night, covered in sweat from the recent nightmare…

"—Just a dream?!"

Everyone else was asleep.

'_It'd been long… since the last time I'd had one of those dreams…' _

'…_about what happened at that moment…' _

_--Slump--_

"Damn it. All this time…, and my heart is still disquiet"

_--Sigh--_

'…_Kikyo… … we're could you be right now…?'_

_--His breath caught with a feeling of dread --_

"**_...You're not in danger…, … are you..?"_**

Unnoticed by the pensive hanyou, a somnolent Kagome had awoken to look in his direction, and gasped in surprise at the unexpected vision her eyes were greeted with.

… **_For the flash of a second, under the moonlight, Inuyasha's silhouette had appeared surrounded by the trap of a spider's web… _**

**

* * *

**

The following morning, the girl from the future decided to warn her hanyou friend…

"A spider's web, you say?"

"That's right; though I only saw it for a moment--" Kagome noticed he wasn't paying attention and gave him a questioning look "…Inuyasha? Is something wrong?"

'_Last night… …that dream…'_

'_That dream… of when Kikyo sealed me to the tree fifty years ago'_

'…_I didn't have it by accident, did I?'_

"Inuyasha?"

"Huh?! This is… it's nothing really!"

'_Why is Inuyasha turning away?'_ "Nothing, you say?"

"Mhm… That mutt must have turned to look the other way for a reason, if you ask me" Kouga muttered from behind them, butting in.

"I think you're right" the little kitsune on his shoulder agreed.

"SHUT UP YOU TWO!!!" As an angered hanyou swung his sword at the two of them, Miroku approached the girl from the future to ask her something.

"Kagome-sama, you don't think it was a demon of some kind?"

"Might have been" the miko answered in a low whisper "for that web that I saw was coming from the sky…"

* * *

"Kohaku, you must not move from my side or the protective holy barrier I've erected to cover us will break" 

"Yes, Kikyo-sama"

'_Um. What is Kikyo-sama looking with so much attention?' _

'_Protected by this barrier, we're walking the path towards that village'_

When something suddenly collided against the barrier, the raven haired priestess looked up.

"Huh?!" _'What? A thin thread?!'_

'_What's this… many entwined threads coming from the sky?' _the now alerted priestess thought inwardly, observing the situation which she suspected only she could see happening before her eyes; _'But they don't seem to be affecting the inhabitants of this village. It's almost as if the threats are invisible to them; they can't see them… they don't react at all when they pass right through them'_

'_But I can feel it…there's some of Naraku's evil acting against me through these threads…'_

'…_Naraku, what are you planning--?' _

It was at that moment when she saw thousands more of those threads shoot from the sky to attack a little girl.

* * *

_Somewhere else not far…_

"_Miroku-san!!!_ Do you see that?!"

* * *

Inside the dark subterranean fortress, the blonde girl by the name of Usagi thrashed violently while asleep on her bed. 

"_Niraya-sama?!"_

_

* * *

**To Be Continued.** _


	15. I don't care anymore

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon or anything else that you recognize. Only a few fragments of this chapter are translations I extracted from the Inuyasha manga. I'm not making any money out of this; the writing of this story is just to vent some stress and for my personal pleasure._

**WARNING:_ Major MANGA SPOILERS_ in this chapter. Read on at your own cost… **

Chapter Fourteen.

'I don't care anymore'

_It was at that moment when she saw thousands more of those threads shoot from the sky to attack a little girl._

_Somewhere else not far… "Miroku-san!!! Do you see that?!"_

_Inside the dark subterranean fortress, the blonde girl by the name of Usagi thrashed violently while asleep on her bed._

_"Niraya-sama?!"_

* * *

A horrified Kikyo saw how thousands of new threads that had shot from the sky enveloped the form of the little girl, making her fall to the ground motionless; her still open eyes dull and pupil-less… 

"Saki?! What is it? Wake up!" She watched as the mother of the child tried to revive her daughter in vain. People around looked on curiously; however, it was obvious neither them nor the mother had seen the mysterious threads that had attacked her in the barest of seconds.

"Get back!" she shouted to the woman as she made her way towards the little girl.

"Miko-sama?!"

'_It's a trap from Naraku, I know it… He's using this innocent child just to force me to touch those threads…or whatever they are' _

Opening a fold of paper, the priestess took a breath and blew away the tinier pieces of paper inside, which turned into butterflies that flew to the girl and purified the invisible threads, freeing her back into consciousness.

But what Kikyo hadn't realized was that she had stepped away from the barrier that shielded her and Kohaku. She didn't realize it until it was too late and more threads fell from the sky, this time exploding in a spider web-like pattern that enveloped her own form.

'_Oh no!'_

"Kikyo-sama?!" a clueless Kohaku shouted her name when he saw her stumble…

* * *

Meanwhile not far from there… 

"It's that way, Inuyasha!" an alarmed Kagome pointed to the hanyou who was running fast with her already nestled on his back towards that direction "It looks like huge spits of viscous thread falling from the sky!"

'_This is… Kikyo's scent!'_ a rushing Inuyasha thought worriedly.

* * *

"Yes… It was just an hour ago" the same woman was explaining to the group of shard hunters "My daughter fainted out of the blue and that priestess that was passing by healed her. Then it seemed as if she wasn't feeling very well either, so she left, saying that she'd become contaminated and was going to the temple near the village to try and cleanse herself" 

"Inuyasha..?! What are you doing, wait for us!!"

* * *

Away from there, the young taijiya was pondering the words the priestess had said to him before she sent him on his way. 

"_Kohaku, I will have to leave again… I've been polluted by Naraku's evil! Until I cleanse myself, you must stay with Kouchou and Asuka and keep away from me; if you don't your shikon shard could become corrupted. Go with them, Kohaku, their barrier will protect you; your shikon shard must not become tainted again or you'll be back under his control!" _

"What is happening… to Kikyo-sama?" the boy wondered as he continued to follow the two shikigami.

'_I hope she is alright'_

* * *

"Even when I purify these threads, they still come to wrap around me…" 

"_With this Shikon no Tama… I will become a true demon!"_

"_--INUYASHA!!!" _

―_a voice yelled his name before an arrow pierced his heart―_

…_incredulous eyes saw a woman's face full of anger and betrayal…_

"_K- Kikyo…!" _

In a corner of the room inside the temple, the strained, struggling web-covered priestess gasped.

"Naraku?! Even now you show me this vision?! Of what happened back then, in that moment? With what purpose?!"

'_Are you trying to confuse my heart again? To corrupt it with your darkness…so I am unable to use my purifying powers and destroy you? …Is that what you're attempting to do?'_

A sizzling pain on her right shoulder made her look down and notice that there was something very wrong with her old wound from the dark hanyou's poison.

It was spreading…

Struck by realization, the raven haired woman gave a half-bitter smile.

'_--So this is… …the real purpose of your going back there. You knew then…that without Onigumo's dark emotions you couldn't overpower me, not when I had Midoriko-sama's help to aid me' _

A few tears fell from the angry miko' eyes as she gave a bitter laugh. _'I saw it coming 'this' time'_

"You went there, to recover Onigumo's jealousy and lust… to gather enough darkness just so you could once again attempt to taint and murder me?!"

Inside her head, a malicious dark voice chuckled.

"**_That is right, woman… Isn't it ironic? That the same human heart that I once so despised, because it stopped me from hurting you, is the very thing that now allows me to kill you once and for all?"_**

With another gasp, the priestess' eyes widened in shock.

"NANI, NARAKU?!!" _'He was talking to her in her mind?! How could it be possible--??!!' _

"**_It's alright, Kikyo. You're not hallucinating" _**the voice of the evil hanyou told her in a condescending tone **_"I've become more powerful recently, than I have ever been… It makes petty little tasks like this one, of forming telepathic conversations with the preys of my web-trap, not so difficult to carry out anymore… …But tell me, priestess, why so silent all of a sudden?" _**

Managing to catch her voice, she asked the only question she could come up with.

"How?"

"**_Kikyo, my dear little Kikyo…you know that already; after all you've been spying on me, haven't you?"_**

'_That monstrous, evil presence…'_

"…**_Your pitiful 'Midoriko-sama' is not going to save you now…Neither will Kagome or Inuyasha, even though they're running to rescue you right now"_**

'_Inuyasha and Kagome?!!' _"You scum! You've led them here, haven't you?! You wanted them to fall into your trap as well!" she shouted.

"**_Yes, I did. When they finally get to where you are, Kikyo, you will already be unconscious. By the time Kagome walks into that temple, it will be too late; my threads will taint her too, weakening her spiritual powers and she won't be able to heal you with them like last time" _**

"Naraku, you're not getting away with this! I haven't been defeated yet! I will find a way to stop you!"

She heard his amused laughter._ **"Don't get too hopeful, I dare say; though you're welcome to try. Perhaps I'll drop by to enjoy the show meanwhile, if you don't mind"**_

This time, the miko couldn't contain the tears.

"Bastard" _'I hate you so much…'_

"**_I know, Kikyo" _**he said as if he had heard her thought **_"…and I don't care anymore…"_**

After those words he was silent for a long while, so she'd thought he was finally over talking to her.

But then she heard his last whisper…

"…**_Because I have Her"_**

To Be Continued.


	16. Same soul as mine

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon or anything else that you recognize. Only a few fragments of this chapter are translations I extracted from the Inuyasha manga. I'm not making any money out of this; the writing of this story is just to vent some stress and for my personal pleasure._

**WARNING:_ Major MANGA SPOILERS_ in this chapter. Read on at your own cost… **

Chapter Fifteen.

'Same soul as mine'

'_Niraya-sama?! Please don't do this!'_ an aghast blonde screamed inside her slumbering mind.

What were these terrible, sinister images that her mean subconscious was showing her? Why couldn't it let her sleep in peace?

It was as if she was having a horrible nightmare… watching some sort of distorted reality.

…In which the person she most trusted in the world was capable of the most appalling, cruelest things…

* * *

"**_I know you hate me, Kikyo'_**

' …**_and I don't care anymore… …because I have Her…"_**

_So, this meant… that he cared? _

_That he 'had' cared if she hated him, at some point? _

…_Unconceivable!!_

…_After all he'd done to her..?!_

"You have no shame" she told the malevolent presence invading her thoughts.

_How dare he?! How dare he pretend to be the victim in this?_

Besides…

"'Because I have _Her_'?! What do you mean, Naraku?!" the trapped priestess demanded, but got no reply.

"_NARAKU!_"

But she finally realized… that he wasn't going to answer.

'_Who was he talking about? …A woman? …Is that it? Did he mean to tell me that he's found another woman?' _

But that was just—preposterous!Who in their right mind would choose to be willingly with someone like that—it had to be someone as much or even more twisted than he, it had to be.

_Unbeaten, the mere idea gave her shudders… _

"I can't believe he would tell me this… What is he expecting to gain from it? Could it be-- that he's told me this in order to humiliate me? Does he think-- that the thought he's found another woman is going to affect me? May be…make me jealous, even? Hence, all the more tainted and vulnerable to this attack?"

'_Is he really that blinded by his madness?'_

Unless… unless that he meant something else by that.

"…**_and I don't care anymore… …because I have Her…"_**

At a sudden thought she froze.

Even when she swore it could not be; that there was no way the vile hanyou could have been referring to the person she thought, she couldn't shake the dreadful feeling that, despite the complete and utter outrageousness of it perhaps he considered it achievable, conquerable in some remote, distant future… and that he would pursue it.

Another woman… …her substitute.

The one that'd make the most accurate replacement for She whose love Onigumo'd never obtained…

The only one that'd be like a slap in her face…

The only name that would truly affect Kikyo.

"…_Kagome…"_

* * *

"Stupid Inuyasha!" protested a little kitsune while nestled on the shoulder of one Buddhist monk who was behind Sango, both of them riding Kirara "we'll never catch him like this!" 

"I'm sorry for you having to carry me like this, Kouga-kun" a slightly mortified Kagome apologized "Inuyasha is the one that normally does it, but since he's run off… Poor Kirara can't fly with the three of us on her back"

"That's okay, Kagome" an ecstatic wolf demon answered her I could get used to this!"

"Say guys, do you believe that priestess who passed by that village was really Kikyo?" Shippo asked Sango and Miroku.

"I think so" replied the monk.

"It's always quite obvious, judging by Inuyasha's behavior" added the demon slayer.

"Kami, what an idiot! How dare he leave Kagome to go after his previous woman!"

"Kouga! Stop saying that!" the small fox-demon yelled at him.

"That is Shippo's line, usually…" Miroku tried to explain the kit's passionate reaction away to a flabbergasted okami.

Meanwhile, a preoccupied Kagome was immersed in her own thoughts.

'_I think Inuyasha was hiding something, something that he refused to tell us about. It must have had something to do with that spider web I saw'_

* * *

'_Kikyo…I just need to find out if you're alright!'_

'_Where are you?!'_

"The scent…it's coming from that deserted temple"

_'She has to be inside!'_

* * *

"_Gasp! _Even though I keep puryfing these threads, there just appear more and more!" 

'_I can't let him win! I can't give up!'_

"_KIKYO!" _

"Huh?" _'That voice…'_

"KIKYO! ARE YOU IN THERE?" someone called as a familiar red-clad figure entered though the door.

The priestess' usually silent heart swelled with emotion as it recognized the voice.

"Inuyasha…" she whispered. She was already feeling so weak…

"Kikyo?!" the voice repeated when golden eyes settled on her "What's wrong? Are you sick?"

'_Oh no! He can't see the threads either!'_ "GET OUT OF HERE, INUYASHA!!"

It was all she managed to shout before the spreading wounds in her body caused her to whimper.

* * *

"_He's not going to make it"_ the dormant Usagi mumbled.

* * *

"_THERE IT IS, THE TEMPLE!! INUYASHA, YOU'RE IN THERE AREN'T YOU?!"_

"KAGOME!" the half-demon exclaimed, hearing her call out from outside.

'_Kagome… is out there?'_ Kikyo thought _'I can sense her arrows attempting to purify the threads from outside…She can see them!'_

'_Can she see them because…she has the same soul as mine?!'_

'_No… it's not just that, Naraku said he'd already been expecting her to come. The reason she can also see the web is because this trap was intended for her too.'_

'_Then that means… that if Kagome tries to help us out by reaching inside the temple to purify the threads of the inside with a touch of her hand, she will--!!'_

"_KAGOME! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!"_

But the warning had come too late…

* * *

"**Hehehe… Excellent. Now the threads have also pulled Kagome inside"** crimson eyes flashed in satisfaction **"and she's become tangled. Soon the web will also corrupt her mind"**

* * *

'_Oh no! They can't get out! This horrible, terrible nightmare! Why can't I wake up?!' _

To Be Continued.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the little Kagome/Naraku jab, I just had to put it in, I couldn't resist!**


	17. Revelations

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon or anything else that you recognize. Only a few fragments of this chapter are translations I extracted from the Inuyasha manga. I'm not making any money out of this; the writing of this story is just to vent some stress and for my personal pleasure._

**WARNING:_ Major MANGA SPOILERS_ in this chapter. Read on at your own cost… **

Chapter Sixteen.

'Revelations'

"_But it's dangerous to expose yourself that way. If he took your life again, I'd--!!"_

"_Don't worry, Inuyasha…I don't intend to make you go through something that painful again. Naraku won't be able to kill me…not as long as he still has inside of him…the essence and feelings of Onigumo"_

'_Eh?! Onigumo's heart still lives inside Naraku?' an eavesdropping Kagome wondered 'But that means…¡¿Naraku's in love with Kikyo?!! That's the reason why Inuyasha's so--?!' _

'…**_As much as I'd once hated to admit it, they were quite right'_**

'…**_this human heart, the very human heart to which I owned my existence, was the one weakness that made me vulnerable…'_**

'…_**I had to get rid of it'**_

'**_I never thought that, once I did, Kikyo would turn for help to the Great Priestess…' _**

"'_Midoriko'? Are you talking about the Great Priestess who sacrificed her life after a battle that lasted seven days and seven nights, to finally expel her spirit from her body under the form of the Shikon no Tama?" _

"_That is right. Midoriko-sama gave her soul to bind the hideous demons she was battling, and from the formation of that bond between her spirit and theirs, from the formation of a bond between good and evil, was that the Sacred Jewel was born…But you're wrong, Midoriko-sama is not just a deceased, passive ghost nowadays; part of her soul continues to live and battle the demons from inside the very Shikon no Tama that was created from her spirit…It is said she continues her struggle against evil from the other world… _

'_Even in death, she still possesses her spiritual powers and will erect barriers around this very cave where her lifeless body remains, expelling from there all those who harbor impure thoughts towards the Sacred Jewel. Even if she's dead, I'm sure she's still very much aware of what happens in the world of the living, thus knows of Naraku's existence" _

"_Kikyo?! So it was you?! You're the one that entered this cave that serves as Midoriko's tomb? But why? Why have you sent your Soul Collectors to retrieve the last remnants of the Great Priestess' spirit?"_

"_As the true creator of the Shikon no Tama, she doesn't approve its misuse…that is why our souls, our goals and wishes have connected" the undead miko had responded "The intention of Midoriko-sama is the same as mine; to defeat Naraku. That is why… we are to become one"_

"_Do you mean to say that you'll absorb the remains of her essence… in a fusion of souls of some sort?"_

"_Yes. With this fusion of souls, our spiritual powers are too going to join, healing my wound, and we'll become powerful enough to purify Naraku"_

'_Inuyasha, Naraku can't be defeated with a sword, for it would only harm his body, which he is capable to regenerate. To destroy him completely, his soul must be defeated along with his body as well. That can only be done by means of the Shikon Jewel. That is… why I need Midoriko-sama's help" _

'**_After Kagura's death, Kohaku who had regained his memories fled from me as well. It was then that the soul of Midoriko inside Kikyo's body had sent her Soul Collectors to guide him to that cave. _**

'**_Then that woman, Kikyo, became allies with that young taijiya… in order to destroy me'_**

"_My name is Kohaku, and I overheard you talking with Inuyasha-san; I know the way to destroy Naraku is through the completed Shikon Jewel, that you intend to purify him along with it… and I want you to use the shard that I carry for that"_

"_I'd noticed you'd been following me for quite some time…Kohaku? However, are you aware of the consequences? Do you realize what it entails if I use your jewel shard?"_

"_Yes… Like I said to Inuyasha-san, this is not about me dying, but about defeating Naraku…That is why, I've been prepared to die since a long while…"_

'**_That time when I absorbed Moryoumaru and the infant (Akago), Kikyo was there too…yet that woman didn't shoot a single arrow…' _**

'**_Like she was waiting for the opportunity to do something… It was suspicious'_**

'**_Then I noticed something else… Kohaku, who'd been taken in by Kikyo; his Shikon shard was emitting the most disgusting pure light'_**

'**_Had I taken it right then, and joined it carelessly with the others in my possession, the light of that purified shard would probably have overpowered the darkness of the rest of the tainted Shikon shards in an instant' _**

'**_That was… when I first realized what she was planning to do'_**

'**_The reason she'd once been helping me gather the shards… She only wanted me to have the completed Jewel in my grasp so she could destroy me. _**

'**_To put the completed Shikon no Tama in my grasp, so she could purify me together with it… …I was sure that'd been her true plan all along'_**

'**_Once more, she'd become a threat I needed to deal with'_**

'**_This darkness which I'd tainted my Shikon shards with; it was the source of my very being. I could never let her become capable to overpower it' _**

'**_I had no other choice…but to recover that bandit's essence. The human heart that I'd once so despised had become a necessity…' _**

'…**_just as Onigumo had predicted it would…' _**

'**_Evil thoughts, sinful desires, repugnant machinations…all of them traits of a twisted human heart… all of them connected to Kikyo'_**

'…**_all of them could grant my Shikon Jewel the power of darkness… enough to kill her '_**

'**_Once and for all'_**

'_**That is why I made my own plan'**_

'**_A trap for Kikyo, in which Kagome would also fall once she arrived with Inuyasha…That is why I sent that spider web to induce that memory dream in him: I knew he wouldn't be able to resist the need to check up on Kikyo, and that that girl, Kagome, would follow… I chose that human village for it had a solitary temple nearby and it was in Kikyo's path… I knew that, once I corrupted her, she would go to that temple to try to cleanse herself. When Kagome followed Inuyasha to that place, she wouldn't be able to shoot an arrow to purify the threads of the inside to free Kikyo…She would have no choice but to get closer to try do it by touch…and when she touched the threads, they would wrap around her and pull her inside, where thousands of more threads would be there, waiting for her… ready to taint her by manipulating the darkness in her soul by means of another troubling vision… of Kikyo and Inuyasha' _**

To Be Continued.

* * *

**A/N: Say, fans of anime only, what was it for you to have Naraku himself explain the manga away for you? …Wasn't that informative? (chuckles) You can't say I don't make the effort to please all my readers.**

**Till the next post! **


	18. Without him

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, or anything else that you recognize. I'm just using them to imagine a mixed story for my own personal pleasure. _

_**Author's Note: SIX CHAPTERS in a row that's something good, don't you guys think? The deal of posting short chapters is so I can update faster. However, I would like if some of the people with the story alerts would tell me what you think of the way the story is going… I like criticism, I need criticism I CRAVE criticism! Both the good and the bad. **_

_**So don't be shy, okay? **_

Chapter Seventeen.

'Without him'

… "_To corrupt me, and steal your spiritual powers at the same time"…_

…"_You stay with Kikyo, Inuyasha"…_

… "_Inuyasha, I am here..! … You can't see… or hear me?!"…_

… "_It was just as I thought. You truly… wish my death"… _

… "_Girl, I think you know it already… this priestess hates you"…_

…"_I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU!"…_

… "_I wonder what that was… It looked like the mountain was shaking"…_

…"_There's a past I could never be a part of…" _

…"_Are you saying… that you and I are the same?"_

…"_It's not the real Kikyo?!" _

…"_Kikyo-sama!" Miroku had shouted, watching as the threads around the priestess lifted her body away all of a sudden…_

…"_What does it feel? To die in the arms of the one you find so despicable?"…_

…"_your beloved Inuyasha's gone"…_

…" _Houshi-sama!"…_

…" _Will you truly use your wind tunnel now"…_

…"_Don't let yourself be captured!"…_

…"_Kikyo's not that person anymore"…_

…"_You knew what would happen yet you came at me just the same"…_

…"_Your hatred and despise for me"…_

…" _GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!!"…_

* * *

He was pleased.

So very pleased, that he could almost attempt a happy dance, if he wasn't afraid his detachments might see, think he had lost it and try to betray him _again_.

―_No need to say, if they did, he would finally decide to get rid of all of them… and make himself an army of Kannas …―_

_Now _he could allow himself the indulgence of humor.

For it was done...

It was finally done.

That troublesome priestess was finally dead, and there was nothing Midoriko on her own could do to interfere with his plans.

Kagome had tried. _Oh yes_, she had tried with all her might to prevent the fatal outcome, gone to great lengths and put herself on the stake once more, merely to save her poor little hanyou the pain of seeing his fomer love die again at the hands of his worst enemy; why of all things she'd done that, Naraku could not figure it out.

Or may be he could. What he couldn't do was relate to it. If it'd been him that'd been in her place, he would have simply sat and watched as Inuyasha's previous lover died; been ecstatic at the chance to finally see her rival be moved out of her way… appreciated and taken the golden opportunity that life was giving her.

It really was a shame…

Evidently, Kagome'd never been that sharp; anyway. As the non-visionary creature that she was, always tailing after the hanyou, gratefully picking up the crumbs of affection that he would occasionally send her way; though disappointing, her behavior hadn't really been that surprising... What a pathetic little conformist. If he hadn't been so busy enjoying himself mocking her, he would have pitied her.

Still, all her efforts had been for nothing; Naraku'd been even able to see the match from up close and personal and talk with Kikyo for a little while, whispering sweet nothings to her as she was weakening… and wishing her a happy end…

…Sort of.

Oh, well; nobody's _perfect_… he had at least _tried_.

What mattered was that she was gone, and that he would miss her…

_A little._

…_Not really…_

Because even when she _was_ kind of pretty _and_ the cause of his existence, to pursue Kikyo'd truly been a pain in the ass.

Besides…

Why miss that dead body so much? …When he had a very living one to _play _with?

'_He, I might ask the dog-hybrid that sometime'_

Just as he had whispered to an agonizing Miko:

"_Isn't it beautiful, Kikyo, that because this human heart's become intrigued with someone else, I was finally made able to hurt you?" _

It was true: the bandit hadn't put a word against her elimination this time. …He had to thank his white dove for that.

His prized possession.

Oh, the things he wanted to do to his little toy… He wondered if those lips were as luscious as they looked. He couldn't wait to taste them.

'_**Soon'**_

She wasn't ready yet. But she would be. Now that the little troubling issue of Kikyo was taken care of at last, he would be able to focus on her all that he wanted when he was at home.

His golden haired, precious Butterfly.

…Who didn't have any idea of how powerful she was.

Not _yet_.

**First**; he needed to have the complete Shikon Jewel, or he wouldn't be able to keep her under control.

…He already noticed his serene butterfly had a tendency to become a fluttering hummingbird every once in a while…

This reminded him…his old puppet, Kohaku, had escaped with the last remaining shard. He had sent Byakuya, Kagura's replacement after the boy but Seshoumaru had suddenly showed up and almost killed the detachment, who'd become squeamish about going anywhere near him ever since. From then on the intrusive Demon Lord had taken the taijiya boy in his custody and kept him with the rest of his group, who didn't separate from their Taiyoukai leader not even to follow Nature's call these days…

No matter; he would find a way around Sesshoumaru's constant vigilance.

On the other hand,his last twin detachments, Aku and Tsumi, would play an important role in strengthening the ties he had with his butterfly. They were actually _vital_ for what he had in mind, so they weren't like other creations of his which had become quite expendable.

No. They were different… livelier. For starters, they hadn't been created the same way: they'd been a direct _consequence_ of Usagi stumbling into his path, and as such they were part of his bond with her, even though Usagi herself didn't know it.

He would have to keep an eye on them, he realized; for now, he couldn't risk _those_ two particular detachments getting hurt…

Also, he needed to figure out where the 'Treasures' were…

… and for that, even though it was risky, he needed to let Usagi go to the outside _without_ him…

… The twins would be able to help him with that…

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

GLOSSARY

'Houshi' means monk. 'Houshi-sama' means 'Your Holiness' or something like that.

**A/N: Once again, I request feedback… You guys are the source of my inspiration… Please help this author's encouragement so she stays out of writer's block! Doesn't have to be ideas, necessarily. Just 'liked' or 'not liked'.**


	19. To apologize

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

**A/N: Like they say,_ "reviewing stories which you have on story alert is, after all, an expected, appreciated courtesy."_**

Chapter Eighteen.

'To apologize'

"_Usagi…"_

_The addressed girl snapped around instantly. Trembling, she focused surprised, watery blue eyes on the one that had called her._

_There was an indescribable pain hidden in those eyes. "Niraya-sama?"_

_At the sight of her pain, said male approached the vulnerable girl with worry. "Butterfly?"_

"_Niraya-sama…" the blonde whispered in a pleading, shaking tone, her hands closed tightly into fists as her tears started spilling… she couldn't take it anymore… she run to the protective arms of her Lord. _

"_NIRAYA-SAMA!" she screamed, shutting her yes tightly as she wrapped her arms around him._

_He was sincerely concerned now. _

"_You're crying…" he said as he hugged her back. _

"_Oh, Niraya-sama―"_

"―_What's wrong?"_

"_Niraya-sama, please say that it's not so! Say it is a lie, that it isn't true… Please, say it!!" she pleaded of him in a desperate voice._

"_Say what, Usagi" he was genuinely appalled "What isn't true?" he looked down at her with questioning, intense red eyes… and she looked away, ashamed._

"_I had a terrible nightmare; I dreamed… that you were evil, and had a black heart" _

* * *

"FOR THE LAST TIME, USAGI-SAMA… ABSOLUTELY _NOT_!" 

"Aku…"

"I said NO! …That guy's violent, he's dangerous! Remember what Byakuya told us that he almost did to him! I refuse to take you to talk to that guy, Usagi-sama… Lord _Niraya_ would chew my head off!!"

"But Aku…"

"Don't give me that look"

"Aku-kun… _please _Aku-kun…" the blonde begged "I just want to talk to him… Thank him for what he did to save me from those thieves, and then we're out of there. _Pleeaaseee_??"

The detachment cursed under his breath, uncomfortable. …Life was _not_ fair!

…He couldn't resist her when she pleaded and looked at him like that…

"Why do you want to thank him, anyway?" he demanded, irked beyond his mind.

"It's common courtesy to thank those who help you" Usagi told him with her hands at her hips, disapproving that he'd even ask that "Besides, I must apologize for the way I insulted him… It just wasn't nice"

The detachment barked a laugh. "Oh, he'll live through it; I assure you" he answered her knowingly "What I don't get is why you want to get me in trouble with Niraya-sama"

"Aku…_come on_!" Usagi said frantically, sensing she might lose this battle of wills with her friend "He doesn't have to know! I told you it would only be a couple of minutes! You only have to take me to where he is; you don't even have to accompany me to go talk to him if you're scared"

"ABSOLUTELY NO―"

"_PLEAAASEE???_"

"Ugh. I fuckin' hate you, Usagi-sama… …_I just hope I don't come to regret this_"

'……_!'_

"…Yay!" the mischievous blonde thought.

* * *

Alone in the hot springs; a black haired girl in a high school uniform cried as her mind replayed recent memories. 

"_The moment you became tangled in the threads, you saw it, Kagome; I am sure… a vision of Inuyasha and myself, fifty years ago, in our final moments._

"_With that vision sent to you through the spider's web, Naraku's corrupted you heart, so that you become unable to use your priestess' spiritual powers of purification to heal my wound._

"_To corrupt me, reopening and spreading the old poisonous wound that he had given me on Mount Hakurei, the one that you'd once partially healed with your powers, Kagome; and to steal your spiritual powers, so you can't help me again, at the same time… That was Naraku's plan" _

"_And then, tainted by the poison, I can't touch the Jewel to purify Naraku as I had intended"_

"_But?! Isn't there another way? Isn't there any other way to save you?!"_

"…_There might be one" _

"_Then tell me! Tell me… because I am willing to try!"_

"…_Kagome…"_

"Kikyo…"

"_The last shard, Kagome… Kohaku…You must protect his light"_

"_What are you saying?! You must resist, Kikyo; do not say things like that! I did what you told me to do; it should have purified your wounds! …Wasn't what I just did supposed to save you… has everything I've done been for nothing?!"_

"_You have lost, Kikyo"_

"_Naraku, you bastard!"_

"_Inuyasha, come quick! Kikyo is--!!"_

_Somewhere else, meanwhile…"Wow. Look! Sunset's a red, brilliant color! Isn't it beautiful, Kaede-sama?"_

"_Yes"_

'_However… it's like, the color of blood' _

_--'Something awful must have happened… I have a bad feeling about this'-_

"Kikyo…" the girl from the future whispered, trying to wipe away her growing tears of guilt.

"I'm sorry… that I couldn't save you…"

"…_I am so sorry!_"

* * *

"Miss Kikyo… That light that I saw in the sky last night, it was Miss Kikyo…" 

"I'm sorry, Kohaku, that he couldn't arrive in time to where the priestess was"

"If only I was stronger" said the boy, bowing his head.

What they didn't know was that the Taiyoukai was listening into those words.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?!" Rin exclaimed when she saw him step out from the shadows, but the Demon Lord's gaze was only fixed on her companion.

"Boy, come with me for a moment"

* * *

"_Stop! You shouldn't move yet. You still have poison in those wounds, haven't you?" a little girl had yelled as she followed behind the taijiya boy._

"_I must go back. Kikyo-sama… she's gotten weaker. I don't know how bad she might be right now"_

"_But it's dangerous! Those people who are after you might get you…don't you think, Kohaku?" the girl had asked. _

"_I'm warning you, human! Don't expect Sesshoumaru-sama to take you there himself!"_

"_Master Jaken…"_

"_Be silent, Rin! And you, boy… you should thank Lord Sesshoumaru just for saving your life! If he hadn't, that detachment that Naraku sent after you would have killed you. Ungrateful brat… I will not allow you to cause Lord Sesshoumaru any more problems!"_

It'd been two days since their new member had been admitted in Sesshoumaru's group, and the Taiyoukai still hadn't said what he'd wanted, waiting as he was for a more proper occasion.

Which, he had decided, was to be now.

That was the reason he'd asked the young taijiya to follow him to a more private place where his ward wouldn't hear their conversation. Once he reasoned they'd already entered such place, he stopped, turning around in a slow motion to look silently at the human boy, who was visibly apprehensive, for a long time.

"Boy"

The human gasped, startled, as if he hadn't been expecting for the Demon Lord to speak at all.

"S- Sir?" he asked hesitantly.

"Your name is Kohaku… Is that right?" unperturbed, the Taiyoukai asked.

"Yes"

"Then that is what I shall call you" he continued impassively "Boy, this Sesshoumaru wants to make some matters clear; your presence in his group is only temporary; you shall remain with my pack as long as the Sacred Jewel shard that you carry continues to need protection from the vile hanyou, Naraku, and no longer than that. Is that understood?"

The boy lowered his eyes. "Yes, Sir"

"That priestess who took care of you is deceased as well. It is time you acknowledge that. This Sesshoumaru will not tolerate any more outward expressions of mourning while you're in his company, especially not around his ward… Is that clear?"

The boy's fists tightened, but he remained calm. "Yes, Sir"

The Demon Lord nodded in appreciation.

"Good. Now let us go back"

* * *

"Ungrateful Usagi-sama…" an irritated detachment grumbled "and damn me for giving in so easely… Usagi-sama, you remember that if there's trouble you have to come to me immediately, don't you?" he said as he fixed his expensive pink kimono up, careful not to crease the bright flowers in the design. 

"Hai, hai… I do. Don't you worry yourself, Aku"

"Ha! And she tells me not to worry… Miss 'I've-got-a-knack-for-trouble' herself…" the half-youkai mumbled "How's my eyeliner? My hair… my rouge?"

"They're alright"

"And my lipstick?"

She gave his mouth an appraising look. "A bit smudged, but looks fine"

"Good. One thing less to worry about" he said as he took her hand, leading her forward to the place where he knew Sesshoumaru's group was camping.

"I just have to ask, Aku; did you _really_ need to dress up like a girl for this?" she asked with dubious eyes "After all, you're only showing me the way… not coming with me to their camp"

"No… but if that Taiyoukai happens to see me while you're there, I wanna be prepared"

Usagi looked at him rather scandalized "You gonna ask him out?"

"NO! I JUST DON'T WANT HIM TO RECOGNIZE ME! THAT'S ALL!"

"Um. Okay" the dumbfounded blonde mumbled "What I don't get is why you wouldn't want this person to recognize you… From what you've told me, you've never spoken to each other before"

The flustered detachment sweat dropped.

"L- Look… It's really nothing, Usagi-sama. Just that this guy doesn't like Na-, erm, _half-breeds_… Understand?" He was hopeful when he saw her give him a saddened look…

…"Not really…"

'_Argh!'_

_Sigh. _"I need a vacation… Just forget it, Usa. I can already smell them: his group is in that direction. Just go there, and come back as soon as you can. I'll be waiting for you right here. Go to him, thank him, apologize, then turn back around and come back… and remember not to mention my name when you're with him!"

"Okay…"

* * *

"La-la-la-la-la! Lalalalala…Sesshoumaru-sama, where could you be? Jaken-sama; he fell asleep again…" a little girl sang while sitting on the back of a two-headed dragon. 

"Oh..! Hi! Can I help you?"

* * *

"…_and Jaken-sama doesn't like Rin putting flowers around his head when he's asleep… But Ah-Un likes it. Will you help me put this crown on Ah's, the second head, so that he doesn't get jealous of Un… Usagi-san? That's what you told me your name was, right? I think it's a pretty name…Your hair's very pretty, too"_

Sesshoumaru could hear his ward's voice as he and the solemn taijiya walked back through the forest to return to his followers.

…When he saw something far ahead that made him snap to attention…

A blonde head crouched beside Rin's black haired one, staring at some daisies.

'_That girl…' _the Taiyoukai thought.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Chapters are getting longer, aren't they? (grin)**


	20. Opportunistic

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Nineteen.

'Opportunistic'

Sesshoumaru could hear his ward's voice as he and the solemn taijiya walked back through the forest to return to his followers.

…When he saw something far ahead that made him snap to attention…

A blonde head crouched beside Rin's black haired one, staring at some daisies.

'_That girl…' _the Taiyoukai thought.

* * *

"_If you're going to kill me, stop dallying around the issue and DO IT already!!" she demanded so loudly that Sesshoumaru turned to look at her sharply when she shrieked "Are you waiting for me to get distracted, is that it? What kind of sick evil creature are you?!"_

_She'd barely had time to finish her outburst when a clawed hand shot to wrap around her throat, squeezing in warning._

…_and just like that, he suddenly ceased his hold, letting her fall to the ground._

"_You're more trouble than you're worth" he muttered turning around and walking away._

_Once again Usagi only stared after him mutely in total bewilderment, though this time it was for different reasons._

_She felt something inside her clench. "I'm sorry"_

_He slowly turned his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. Then, as fast as he'd paused, he turned back forward and resumed his pace._

"_Go home, human"_

She'd been left thinking of him for days… the silver haired man.

Every time she remembered the way she'd insulted her savior, her heart ached. It didn't seem as important that he'd killed a human being anymore; the more rational part of her mind insisted that it'd been in self defense. _Their _defense… his and hers. If that man had killed him… what would the other thieves have done to her next?

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she'd been in the wrong; the more she realized the wrong of her reaction…

And she'd desperately wanted to make it up to him, somehow… Find that silver haired man again… and thank him properly… like any normal good person would.

Or so she told herself that was the reason for all this trouble.

The truth was… she also wanted to see him again; not just to thank him, but see him again. She didn't know why she was feeling this way, neither did she ignore that it was a bit strange: to feel such an intense desire to meet once more with some stranger… because, savior or no savior, that was what he was to her yet.

Still she couldn't make deaf ears to a voice in her head that was wishing to reunite, have him standing in front of her so she could figure out what this odd pull that she felt in her heart was. She'd felt it the very first time she turned to look his way, and felt it again later when he left her by herself near that clearing, to be found by Aku… It was like a hunch, an intuition that this man and her were connected, somehow, even though remotely; and that to discover what kind of connection it was that joined them would help her recover a crucial part of herself that was missing.

It sounded so much like nonsense, it was laughable… yet that was the reason she'd pleaded and pleaded to her youkai friend so she could come here, searching him.

The apology and gratitude were just the excuse…

These had been the thoughts in Usagi's mind after she'd left Aku, as she walked her way in the direction he had indicated, expecting to meet there with the person she had come to find.

What she'd never expected was, in the very place where her friend had told her she'd find the silver haired stranger's group, that there'd be a little girl climbed atop a most unusual creature, swinging her legs back and forth as she was singing a made-up melody and working with some flowers; another, smaller green creature snoring at her feet.

"La-la-la-la-la! Lalalalala…Sesshoumaru-sama, where could you be? Jaken-sama; he fell asleep again…" the little girl sang while sitting on the back of the two-headed dragon.

Usagi had stopped at the side of a thick tree-trunk, one palm resting on the bark as she stared on, eyes wide in astounded silence; slowly pondering the situation when the child spotted her.

"Oh..! Hi! Can I help you?" the little girl glanced so innocently at her that Usagi immediately felt at home to make some conversation.

Stepping away from the side of the tree and forward, and then clasping her hands together behind her back in a humble gesture of self presentation, she smiled kindly at the dark-haired child. "Hi there! I couldn't help but notice what beautiful flowers you've got there… are you making crowns for your friends?"

Surprised at those words, which might be an indication of kinship in spirits, the little girl smiled warmly. "Yes! These are for Ah-Un and Jaken-sama! You're not afraid of youkai?"

Amused at the child's straightforwardness, the blonde laughed. "No. As a matter of fact, I know a few youkai myself"

Laughing too, the little girl jumped off the slumbering dragon's back and run to meet the teenager. "_So do I!_ The other kids and grown-ups I've met are always afraid of youkai, but I'm not because Master Jaken, Ah-Un and our Lord always protect me... I am glad that you aren't either!" she exclaimed enthusiastically "My name's Rin! What's your name, um" she hesitated for a second "… miss?"

Usagi giggled. The child was adorable… "Nice to meet you, Rin-chan! My name is Usagi…" she daid courtly in a playful voice, crouching down to the little girl's level "Are you and your friends here by yourselves?"

"No, there's also of course Sesshoumaru-sama!" an excited Rin replied.

"Se- … 'Sesshoumaru-sama'?" Usagi asked, blinking…

…_He threw her a scathing look over his shoulder. "Don't try this Sesshoumaru's benevolence, human, unless you wish for him to finish you where you stand"…_

Her big eyes widened once more.

'It… _it was him!_' she gasped.

Trying to hide her shock, the older human nodded. "That's wonderful, Rin-chan. You've got someone to take care of you… right?"

"Hai! Rin was very lonely till Sesshoumaru-sama found her"

Tilting her head to the side, Usagi wondered aloud, "Why was that?"

At this question, the little girl's smile fell down a little, bright brown eyes suddenly downcast and saddened. "Because Rin-chan's Father, Mother and Brother were killed by night bandits"

Her own surprised eyes also saddening, Usagi's open mouth formed an 'O', and her heart went out for the little girl, aching painfully. She was going to say she was sorry to have pried when the sound of a third voice interrupted them, making them both turn around.

"Mm, Rin… stop making so much noise" a sleepy Jaken scratched his head with his staff as he slowly opened his eyes.

…In time to see Rin talking with a yellow haired girl.

'…_**!"**_

"RIN!!!" the small youkai squeaked as he got up in a flash, blanding his Two-Headed Staff. "RIN!!! Get away from her!" he shouted as he threw himself towards the blonde in full speed, ready to hit her with his 'weapon'.

"Jaken-sama, _NO!!_" Rin shouted as she stepped in the way "Don't hurt her! She's a friend!"

"Friend?" the toad stopped to blink, only to narrow his eyes, getting more angry "friend?! Rin! Lord Sesshoumaru told you not to talk to strange humans! _Silly girl_, don't you remember what happened last time?!"

"But she's not going to take me to some human village! She likes youkai… like me!" the little girl protested.

"Foolish brat" the toad demon grumbled "and you believed everything she told you?! She could be lying!"

"NO! I believe Usagi-san!" Rin argued, fisting her hands and stomping her foot stubbornly, surprising Jaken.

"Usagi―wha?-_san?!!_ …Wait till Lord Sesshoumaru knows about this, you ungrateful child!"

"Wha-? Oh. Oh no, Jaken-sama!" at the prospect of upsetting her beloved Taiyoukai, out of the blue Rin saddened. She felt torn between her loyalties to her Lord and her newfound liking for her new and first female friend.

Closing his yes and huffing, the toad crossed his arms satisfied. "Ha! That'll show you not to give trouble to Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Um. Excuse me?"

"And _you_, yellow human! What do you want?! Go away and leave us alone, you're a nuisance!"

'…_**Yellow** human?' _Usagi didn't know whether to be thoroughly confused, or thoroughly insulted.

"A-I am sorry… I don't mean to be a bother…"

"Jaken-sama, that's not nice" Rin reprimanded in a whisper, and the blonde felt tempted to agree with her aloud. "Please let her stay with us for a while?"

"NO!"

"Jaken-sama, be nice!" the little girl said as she run to him and non-the-wiser started shaking him back and forth whereas she continued to insist with her distressed pleading "Please be nice, Jaken-sama!"

"Argh! _Alright Alright!_" he finally gave in, throwing his arms out with exasperation before turning his back on her with a squawk "She can stay till Lord Sesshoumaru returns with the taijiya, but after then she's gone!"

"_THANK YOU, JAKEN-SAMA!_"

Watching this, Usagi chuckled. "You know what, Rin-chan? I think you and I might have a lot in common"

Once all had been said, the dragon Ah-Un, who had awakened sometime during all that ruckus; gave the odd human girl a last wary stare before dropping its two heads and going back to its previous slumber.

--Unknown to the three individuals and the dragon, not far from there a mischievous detachment was watching the whole scene while hidden behind the tree... and laughing like a maniac. _"Things in common indeed, Usagi-sama... Indeed"--_

**Minutes later.**

"…and Jaken-sama doesn't like Rin putting flowers around his head when he's asleep… But Ah-Un likes it. Will you help me put this crown on Ah's, the second head, so that he doesn't get jealous of Un… Usagi-san? That's what you told me your name was, right? I think it's a pretty name…Your hair's very pretty, too"

"Thank you, Rin-chan" the older girl giggled with her.

"By the way, Usagi-san… your clothes look a lot like Kagome-san's. Do you come from afar, like her?"

"_Kagome-san?_" the blonde questioned, blinking

…"_Girl, are you related to the girl Kagome, the one that travels with the half-breed, Inuyasha?"…_

"I'm sorry, Rin-chan, but we haven't met… yet you're the second person who asked me that these days"

The child shrugged well humouredly. "It's okay… You will probably see her if we bump into Inuyasha-san" she explained, as if thinking Usagi would stay indefinitely with their group.

Inuyasha…

Kagome…

'_Those names again'_

"Who is Inuyasha?"

"He―"

"―Rin, I told you not to talk to strangers" Sesshoumaru briskly cut in, arriving unexpectedly with Kohaku behind "Jaken, what is this human female doing in our camp?" he questioned severely.

"My Lord!" the toad youkai squawked, rushing to prostrate himself before the stoic Demon Lord "I tried to keep her away, but that brat Rin wanted her to stay! It wasn't my fault!"

The Taiyoukai glanced down at his ward briefly before his eyes returned to the blonde.

"It's _you_!" Usagi gasped, getting up instantly "I've found you!" she said happily.

"Uh" Rin turned to look up at her curiously "Usagi-san… you were looking for Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Hai!" the teen giggled, ecstatic with her triumph.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at her. "Why do you seek this Sesshoumaru, wench?"

"My Lord! Do you know this woman?!" the toad exclaimed in amazement as a surprised Kohaku remained silent.

At this point of their acquaintance, where he'd already saved her lfe once, to Usagi the term "wench" almost sounded like an endearment. That was why she ignored it to merely walk closer to the Demon Lord, a mystified look on her face.

"Sesshoumaru-san…, _no_" she suddenly shook her head, taking a breath to calm herself "Sesshoumaru-sama…" she said with wonder, repeating the title she'd heard from his companions. "I've been searching for you because… I, well, I wanted to thank you"

The Taiyoukai raised an eyebrow. "Thank me?"

"Yes" the blonde said, bowing respectfully as was the Japanese costume when showing gratitude; and everyone else but the two of them fell silent. "I wanted to thank you for what you did for me seven days ago… You saved my life from those thieves and I only acted disrespectfully. I desired to find you so I could apologize… and say that I'm deeply ashamed of my behavior, Sesshoumaru-_sama… _I only hope you can find the mercy in yourself to forgive me"

"…Just great! _Another_ impudent human!" the toad growled lowly with displeasure, but they all ignored him.

―"_Wow… All those formal apologies that we rehearsed with Usagi-sama have certainly paid off" _Aku muttered from his new hiding place in the bushes, continuing to listen in―

Despite the toad's intrusive comment, something in Usagi's poise had gotten to Sesshoumaru. The sincerity of her heart-felt words had privately pleased him… he couldn't remember the last time a human had addressed him with such manners and the proper deference owed to his status… unless they wanted something more substantial from him, and this girl only requested being excused for past behaviors.

…Or did she?

"Girl, what is it that you expect to obtain from this?" he demanded.

"Huh?" Usagi's head snapped up immediately.

"Who sent you, human?" he repeated with newfound suspicion "Humans are a most opportunistic herd; so… what do you hope to gain by apologizing to me in this manner?"

― "_Drats! This is not good! Not good at all!"_ an onlooker Aku mumbled frantically, wondering if he should step in at that moment... and say good bye to his to anonimity―

"Nothing!! No one sent me!" the girl exclaimed urgently, scandalized "I am doing this on my own accord, by my own will… and I don't expect anything else from you, but your acceptance of my apology! Believe me… I beg of you" she finished in an upset whisper.

The Taiyoukai looked at her humble eyes for a long while. "We shall see" he concluded with distant regal dignity, before turning around and starting to walk away. _He was walking away from her once more. _"Jaken, Rin, Kohaku… we're going"

Kohaku, the young taijiya, and Rin gave the blonde a sympathetic glance before following their leader, but Usagi didn't see either, for her disappointed, incredulous blue eyes were still trained on the Demon Lord's back.

Then she reacted.

"Wait! Sesshoumaru-sama!" Surprisingly he stopped to look at her from the corner of his eye, as if waiting for her to finish what she last had to say to him.

"Wait, Sesshoumaru-sama… I'm not like that. I don't attempt to gain people's good favor to take something from them afterwards, I don't; at least… I don't want to be! I _never_ want to be like that!" she said passionately "Sesshoumaru-sama, I don't have many friends…" her voce broke "I don't know that many people… I just- _I just wanted you to know me_"

"Usagi-san" Rin whispered softly.

―"_How dare he make her cry?! That **BASTARD**!! Oh, how I **wish** for Master Naraku to order me to kill him!" _an enraged Aku growled from his hiding place as he spied on the whole group, righteous male anger fueling his courage ―

"I am sorry" the teary eyed sniffled; wiping her tears from her eyes again, smiling rather bitterly "I don't mean to disturb you or put you to any inconvenience with my problems. I shall not bother you anymore…" she started to walk away as well.

"Usagi-san!" Rin called out after her in worry, and the blonde suddenly stopped, turning around.

"That's right… I almost forgot to give you my token of gratitude, Sesshoumaru-sama…" she took out from one pocket her infamous star shaped locket, crouched down and put it on the ground before standing right back up, her back once more to the Demon Lord, her hands closing at her sides "I once wondered if you had a home to return to, and I see that you have… I am glad" her head bowed down, exposing the back of her fragile neck to his golden stare "…Good bye…"

With that, she ran away from him.

"Usagi-san" Rin mumbled. _'The way Sesshoumaru-sama treated her …wasn't right' _

Meanwhile, the Taiyoukai behind her was distracted by a similar fact.

'_Tenseiga, once more you're pulsing… for that girl?'_

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: Definitely longer chapters, these last two were. So show me the love, people! So I can update again:) **


	21. Reckoning

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Twenty.

'Reckoning'

"Rin! What are you doing?" the running child looked behind her as she heard her name being called by the green youkai, who had noticed her running off to go in search of something "Leave that thing behind! For all that we know, it could be cursed or something!" Jaken admonished rudely before twirling around to continue to follow his retreating master along with the young taijiya.

The little girl watched after them with uncertain brown eyes for a moment, before turning around and bending down to pick up a shiny object from the ground, where it'd been placed no more than seconds ago by its original owner.

Inspecting the front face of the star shaped locket, she gave it a decided look.

"I'll take care of it for you, Usagi-san" she whispered before stocking it under her obi and turning around to run after the others.

* * *

"_Kikyo I…I couldn't save you!"_

"_You came for me… and that is enough"_

"_That light is… the soul of Kikyo? It's as if it was saying good bye to us… so warm…"_

"_She won't suffer anymore"_

"Inuyasha?"

"Kagome…"

"Are you alright?"

Silence.

"I'm sorry… what a stupid question"

"Wait…! Kagome?"

"Um, yes? What is it?" the girl of the future asked, turning back around.

"Would you mind to stay with me tonight?"

"Huh?"

"I―!! I don't mean anything lecherous by it" the hanyou told her anxiously, blushing, before he bowed his head to the side and finished in a whisper "I just… I just don't want to be alone tonight. Could you-could you stay with me for a while?"

Looking at his saddened expression, Kagome sighed, then smiled comfortingly.

"Of course…, Inuyasha"

* * *

Back in the fortress...

"Baka..! I'm such a BAKA!" the blonde girl berated herself angrily as her pillow absorbed another punch along with her tears "I'm so stupid!"

"Usagi-sama" the male detachment watched her with a sorrowful look before frowning in anger.

That damned Taiyoukai! He shouldn't have taken her to see him… he knew nothing good was going to come out of it, yet he still did. What an idiot.

"This is all my fault" he sighed with regret.

"No, don't say that, Aku… It's my fault, not yours. You didn't want to do it, but I insisted…I just- I just wanted to talk to him…" came the youth's muffled voice.

"Sometimes, some people are simply not open to listen, Usagi-sama" the detachment muttered with unexpected wisdom.

The girl's teary face turned to look at him with a pained expression.

"But I just wanted to be his friend… What did I do, Aku? Is there something bad with me, that someone would shut me off like that?"

"…No…" the compassionate detachment smiled at her reassuringly. Hr was going to say more, when they were interrupted.

"Of course there's nothing wrong with you Butterfly… and anyone that thinks there is so is a fool" Naraku said as he entered the chamber.

"L- Lord Niraya?!" the detachment stammered surprised and with a bit of fear.

"Leave us, Aku" the Hanyou Lord ordered. "I want to speak with Usagi in private"

Gathering his wits, the detachment bowed respectfully. "Yes, milord"

Then he left the room, leaving the youth alone with his Master, who focused his red eyes on her troubled form.

"Niraya-sama" the girl whispered sadly, and something inside Naraku churned.

"Damn you, Sesshoumaru… to the deepest pits of Hell for this" he muttered in anger.

The blonde's eyes widened, startled "You know?!"

"Of course I know, Usagi. Everything that hurts you… hurts me as well" he answered, taking her hand to put it above his own heart "You and I… we are one... angel. That is why I always know what you're feeling"

"Niraya-sama…" Usagi repeated.

'_Oh God… he knows I sneaked out! He knows, and he's… not angry?'_

"I should have listened, Niraya-sama. I'm sorry I disobeyed! I know I shouldn't go outside and talk to youkai strangers… that you said it could be dangerous but, I just wanted to meet more people… I want to make new friends! And this Sesshoumaru-sama… he'd already helped me once, so…"

Putting a hand over her mouth when she realized all her guilty deeds, she started to blurt out all the truth to him, in an attempt to make amends, desperately wanting to make everything right again.

"Oh, I lied to you, Niraya-sama… I am so sorry! _He_ was the one who saved me from the thieves, not Aku… I didn't tell you at first because I didn't want you to get mad at Aku or Tsumi because of me… But it was my _own_ fault I was outside at that time, _not theirs_!" she bowed her head in shame "I'm sorry… I only give you but trouble"

"Usagi, Usagi… look at me, calm down… I'm not mad at you" Naraku took her gently by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him "You already give so much, Butterfly, so much more than you can even imagine…" he caressed her right cheek with the back of his hand, fondly. "Only you, only you'll be able to see this side of me… ever. I'm not going to lie to you, Usagi; I am not as harmless as I look…Warm…caring…things I usually am only around you. This is not…the way I act with everyone else"

"Huh?! Niraya-sama?"

Touching their foreheads together and bowing his head slightly, blood red met with blue for an instant before he closed his eyes and sighed, giving a bitter, resigned smile.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you, either; Butterfly…"

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: So it's back to the brief chapters… Just when you thought you knew where this story's going, I threw you off again, hehe.**

**I'm sorry guys, but this fic's been labeled as a love triangle for a reason… Lots of things are going to happen before Usa makes up her mind. To do that, first, _I _have to make up my _own _mind… and I don't know yet which one of the two bishies I want her to be! IF she's going to end with one, mind you… I could always bring Mamoru back into the picture; have her die, or something. Oh well, pairings or lack-there-of aside, I hope most of you still get to enjoy the story. **


	22. Forever

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Sailor Moon, or anything that you recognize._

Chapter Twenty One.

'Home, forever'

"_Usagi, Usagi… look at me, calm down… I'm not mad at you" Naraku took her gently by the shoulders, forcing her to look up at him "You already give so much, Butterfly, so much more than you can even imagine…" he caressed her right cheek with the back of his hand, fondly. "Only you, only you'll be able to see this side of me… ever. I'm not going to lie to you, Usagi; I am not as harmless as I look…Warm…caring…things I usually am only around you. This is not…the way I act with everyone else"_

"_Huh?! Niraya-sama?"_

_Touching their foreheads together and bowing his head slightly, blood red met with blue for an instant before he closed his eyes and sighed, giving a bitter, resigned smile._

"_I haven't been entirely honest with you, either; Butterfly…"_

"What do you mean, Niraya-sama?"

"I am a Lord, Usagi…" he said, stepping away to look her in the eyes "and as such, sacrifices must be made in order for me to be able to maintain my power"

The blonde nodded. "I know that, you'd already told me"

He nodded also, turning back from her. "What you don't know is the nature of those sacrifices I must make. Angel, what you ignore is the extreme complexities of the outside world… I'm afraid that in my intent to keep you here, shielded and guarded from any possible danger, I've made you all the more unaware of the world we live in, Usagi…" he stared in her eyes very seriously "the dream you had days ago wasn't entirely mistaken"

"Huh?!"

"…I did hurt someone that day"

"Wha- what…?" she exclaimed, blue eyes disbelieving "b-but how... _Why?! …Who?_"

"I will tell you as much as I can right now, Usagi… the person I hurt; no, the _people_ I hurt… are people who wish for my destruction… they're searching for me, because they want to put my existence to an end"

The girl's eyes widened with fear "_…Nani?!_"

'_K- Kill Niraya-sama..?! NO!! It couldn't be… who would want to hurt him… **why**?!"_

"Don't blame them for it, Usagi… you wouldn't if you knew all the things I've done. I've caused many of them grief… but the truth is, I will do what I must, to survive"

"Ni- Niraya-sama?!"

"I am an unnatural being, my sweet _Chouko Hime_, and a **hybrid**, which is already bad enough by itself, in their eyes" he turned to look her in the eye "It is a great burden, to be different, in this world and time… People act selfishly; they fear what they don't understand, and what they fear, they hate… Your experience with Lord Sesshoumaru has already shown you that"

The girl looked down, crestfallen. "That is why you have to hide all the time… because people want to hurt you… and in exchange, you hurt them back" she whispered, remembering something he'd said not long before.

―"_I had a terrible nightmare; I dreamed… that you were evil, and had a black heart"― _

―"_Resentment and loneliness can do that to a soul sometimes" ―_

Her eyes grew large.

_Was this-…? Was this what he'd really been talking about that time? All this time she'd been afraid that he was talking about herself, afraid that some non-confessed loneliness and resentment inside her own heart had produced that cruel nightmare…_

'But all this time… he'd been talking about… _himself?_'

_Resentment and loneliness had done that to his soul? …Was that what he'd been trying to say? _

But that horrible dream she'd had still couldn't be true! Or could it?

"How did you hurt them... Niraya-sama?!" she questioned, shaking, spraying that things hadn't been at all like in her nightmare; that her nightmare had still been just the product of her imaginative, unocuppied mind "_…_Couldn't those people _be changed_?" she asked all of a sudden, changing tactics, but failing to keep her anxiety out of her voice non-the-less.

Choosing to keep silent about her first question, Naraku turned his unreadable eyes away.

"Some times people just aren't open to listen…" he said, unknowingly repeating his own detachment's previous words.

'_The same thing that Aku said…'_ Usagi thought in dreadful dismay.

She couldn't believe what her loved ones were telling her… that there was no hope for this world?

…_What had caused them to lose faith?_

…_Was the world of the outside…truly that heartless and terrible?_

Then she remembered the way that the silver haired man, Sesshoumaru, had spoken.

―"_Who sent you, human?" he repeated with newfound suspicion "Humans are a most opportunistic herd; so… what do you hope to gain by apologizing to me in this manner?"―_

Curled into a pout, her pursed lips trembled.

_Such coldness and distrust_

Even though she didn't want to accept it…

…may be…

―"_People act selfishly; they fear what they don't understand, and what they fear, they hate…"―_

…may be, Niraya-sama was right.

"What's done is done" the Dark Hanyou Lord continued "we can not change the past… We can only search for our destiny, and follow our own path"

His voice sounded so void of warmth right now, it made her scared.

"_My_ path, I believe, has always meant to involve you, Butterfly" he turned to look at her then "I never knew true mercy, warmth or affection… I'd always lived by myself, in fear and hatred… and fear and hatred were what ruled my life―"

Usagi gasped.

"That is… until I met you"

Once again tears, this time of compassion, started to fall from her eyes as she continued to listen.

"I've watched you, angel; you give your heart freely… so selflessly, you intend to love everyone equally… But that, my love, is impossible; it is unwise… your heart is so fragile… it would only end tearing you apart"

"Demo…" ("But…")

"This world is selfish, heartless and cruel. It does not any deserve kindness such as yours. I will not let this merciless awful world hurt you, my Butterfly" he said cupping her face with his hands "That is why you must learn… Give love only to those that love you; help to those who help you; to the ones who hate you… you must hate them back; don't trust strangers, you must never open your fragile feelings to the undeserving…" he added very seriously "Do you trust me?"

She didn't want to hurt him, so—

"Yes"

His features relaxed, and he gave a real smile.

"Then please, remember what I said, Butterfly… I only want to protect you. We must not allow this heartless world to break your soft and vulnerable heart" he took her in his arms, hugging her "for it is my shelter... my sanctuary. "

"Niraya-sama" the blonde cried in his embrace, overwhelmed by all he'd been saying.

"Someday I'll tell you all there is to know about me, love, and you'll understand everything... because you are the only refuge I've ever known. Usagi... _you are my home_..."

_**You are my home…forever.**_

To Be Continued.

* * *

**A/N: So he told her the truth, or part of it. Naraku is no fool and he knows he can't tell her all at once... and he even managed to use Usagi's encounter with Sesshoumaru to his own favor... isn't that pure, tactical genius, or what?**


	23. Jealousy

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

**WARNING: _Some mild suggestive and perverted language in this chapter. Don't read if you're underage or easily offended._**

Chapter Twenty Two.

'Jealousy'

"Na- Naraku-sama! I didn't mean to; I really didn't!!" a very frightened detachment begged of his Dark Master as she kneeled before him.

"You didn't mean to do _what_, Tsumi… to first let Usagi out of your sight, enough for her to run into _Sesshoumaru _of all people, and putting everything I'd been trying to accomplish in jeopardy?" crimson eyes flashed as the Dark Hanyou tilted his head in suppressed fury "Or was it the fact that you then so cheekily dared to _lie to me_ after it happened?"

The female's bi-colored eyes became large with her growing fear. "I- I- I don't know how it could have happened, Naraku-sama! How was I supposed to know the Demon Lord would be around the area in that exact very moment?!"

The Hanyou's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't you dare defy me, Tsumi… You know I can hurt you greatly if I want to, and you're familiar with what happened to that other insolent female detachment who'd tried before you; Kagura. Tsk tsk tsk… such an unpleasant death…"

He then smirked malevolently, enjoying her fear.

He was also intimately reminiscing at that very moment, of the way he'd stricken Kagura right after he'd given her heart back to her, secretly rejoicing at the gullible, mystified look she'd briefly had on her face for a few moments at the prospect of freedom, and the way that hope had quickly erased later on when she realized it'd all been nothing but a nasty trick on his part, and her blood was already running though his fingers, so warm and thick to the touch.

He nostalgically remembered the glorious power rush he'd felt right then, how powerful and in-control he had felt as he squeezed the life out of the rebellious detachment, and so he now looked up at the potential younger one, still smirking.

"…Do you wish to share her same fate?" even though he knew he couldn't very well do it yet, he sounded almost _hopeful_.

Tsumi shivered at the look he gave her; she knew what he was thinking, and she couldn't tell whether her shivers were out of fear… or excitement.

Privately, she'd already known for a long time now that she rather enjoyed pain, either to feel it herself or to inflict it on others; she'd never told anyone; nobody else, not even her own creator, Naraku, knew of it… but she was truly sadistic at heart: she loved physical suffering in all its forms... she practically _got off_ by it.

_Oh yes_; she **did** like pain.

…_Especially if it had anything to do with **Master** **Naraku**… _

The detachment held in a breath, trying to control her arousal.

Seemingly unaware of the female's secret thoughts, the Dark Hanyou glanced at her questioningly. He was clearly still waiting an answer.

"Oh no, Naraku-sama!" she hurried to respond, seeing he was getting impatient, so she faked distress in an attempt to rise his pity "I would never try to betray you like that Kagura! I just thought that, since the Demon Lord Sesshoumaru hadn't realized of Usagi-_sama_'s connection to you, it'd be no use to trouble you over that harmless little mishap" seeing her Lord's face darken, she instantly rushed to continue "_Of course_ I confirmed that the Demon Lord didn't have the slightest possible suspicion, before I made that decision, Sire" she lied in a smooth fashion with no problem —of all of his detachments, she was the one that'd taken most after the Dark Hanyou, after all— "but I now understand I should not make such assessments by myself. Such prerogative belongs exclusively to you, Sire, and I apologize for my indiscretion… Next time, I will make sure to inform you immediately of all the details of the situation" she bowed her head humbly in submission, mentally congratulating herself for her quick thinking.

The Lord didn't seem quite convinced yet, though, for he was still looking at her studiously… She was starting to grow worried that she wasn't going to be let off the hook when he answered; after a long moment of consideration he finally spoke.

"Very well, Tsumi. You're already shown many times that you're devoted to my service… and since that was the first time that you'd ever failed to carry out my orders properly; for a second time, just this once, I think I will be lenient. But _only_ this once… and you'll have to prove yourself if you ever want to get back in my good favor. Keep in mind what I do to those detachments that betray me, Tsumi... Make sure not to ever put yourself again in the situation of inciting my distrust towards where your loyalties truly lay. Also know that… _I will be watching you_" he said in an ominous warning murmur.

The woman half-youkai suppressed another shiver. This time she knew for sure what it was from…

Excitement.

She rather _liked_ being the center of her Master's attention, she decided.

…Under such welcome and desired, unusual circumstances, the little fact that he'd just threatened her with punishment, if she ever gave him valid reason for suspicion, was an easy enough detail to overlook.

* * *

"Come inside, Aku" the voice of the Hanyou Lord commanded "you know why you've been called in here, after your sister Tsumi, don't you?" 

The subordinate youkai bowed his head.

"Yes" he knew why he was here, in his Master's chamber in the middle of the night, so that a certain golden hair ―who was currently sleeping in her own bedrrom― wouldn't hear the words being exchanged.

"It's because the two of you have been found guilty of very different deeds" the Dark Hanyou explained for him.

"Yes" the younger half-breed repeated.

"While you twin sister, Tsumi, was guilty of hiding some important happenings from me, due to her inadequate evaluations; you yourself, Aku, have been guilty of carrying out other acts of even more dubious nature, as well… Do you admit it, Aku, that you have taken Usagi out without my explicit permission, and had agreed to take her to see that Taiyoukai without my knowledge, _behind my back_? I. Do. Not. Appreciate. Being. Lied. To." crimson eyes flashed as the Dark Hanyou barely suppressed his rage.

"I- I- I just wanted to help her, Master Naraku… I meant no treason against you, I swear! Usagi-sama… she was so disquiet… I thought that if I took her to see the Demon Lord and talk to him for a while, she would sooner calm down and forget about the whole matter…" Aku said lamely, bowing his head in shame.

"You wanted to _help her_?" Naraku asked with an incredulous, sarcastic tone, chuckling "Look what your foolishness has caused her" he hissed "Not only did you and your sister's carelessness put the secrecy of our whereabouts in danger, which could have led to terrible consequences for us if Sesshoumaru had even happened tofind this lair, but you also put her own life at risk… yet here you come and claim to care for the young innocent human woman who gave the two of you your lives. Tell me, Aku… _how_ does that make any sense?"

"I am so sorry, Master… You're right, I acted like a fool… but I don't regret trying to ease Usagi-sama's upset state" he said resolutely.

Naraku quirked an eyebrow.

"I trusted you with Usagi more than I ever did your sister, Aku… Yet you've disappointed me, quite… So is it true, then, that caring for someone makes people stupid?

Aku swallowed hard, when the dark haired leader added.

"Then again, I care for Usagi, quite a bit, too… for my own personal reasons" he chuckled again "so… perhaps these sorts of mistakes only happen to people who are stupid already? …Are _you_ stupid already, Aku?" he taunted cruelly, with a wicked grin.

The detachment clenched his teeth. "No…"

"What was that?" Naraku said, pretending as if he hadn't heard.

"I said no, I am _NOT_!" the younger male exclaimed, agitated… and aggravated.

"Well, then" the Hanyou said, approving "If that is the case, I suggest you refrain from acting on anymore sympathies towards your charge from now on, so that you may concentrate better on what your _real_ duties are"

The young youkai kept silent as his Lord continued.

"–You and your sister are to take care of another task"

Suddenly startled, this last information took Aku by surprise. "A new task?"

"You will start looking for a new hideout. This place is no longer secure. You will keep an eye on Usagi, start looking for a new place to be our hideout, and you will do it now. I trust you don't have anymore questions"

Aku wanted to laugh. He didn't. There wasn't much he could question, anyway, and he knew that for sure.

'_As if he'd ever sincerely answer any'_ he thought to himself inwardly, knowing how much Naraku enjoyed manipulating him, or anybody else, Usagi-sama included. Bending the truth and mixing it with lies so much and so well till it was no longer certain what truth was and what wasn't. Not even Aku himself ever actually had a clue of when he was being honest, and when he wasn't.

Outwardly, he shook his head 'no'.

"Good, you may go then. I'm actually very busy right now… I will proceed to deal with you later" Naraku dismissed him.

Astounded and privately sighing in relief, with a final bow, Aku started leaving the room… till Naraku stopped him once more.

"Oh, and Aku…" he called after him when the hanyou boy was opening the door.

'_Darn it!'_ the boy thought as he turned around to look at his Master in expecting silence, waiting for what would follow.

He'd never have expected what he heard, though.

"Nice dress and make-up you had there, back in the forest with Usagi" Naraku said smiling "I'm sure Sesshoumaru would have complimented them, had he been fortunate enough to see… Don't you think so? Perhaps we should make those from now on be your permanent apparel" this time, the smile on his Master's mouth was positively evil.

Aku shuddered in discomfort at the mental image._'I was hoping he'd pass that one up'_ he thought in dismay. He couldn't come up with a suitable retort so, "A– I, eh… _Touché_, Naraku-sama" he said in defeat.

"I thought so" the dark haired Lord said nodding with an amused smirk, once again giving him permission to leave.

…And the door hurriedly closed behind a quickly-parting, very embarrassed detachment.

* * *

When the Hanyou was left alone back in his chamber, he began mulling fresh new thoughts. 

"I need her power to initiate its awakening" he said to himself "It could be very useful if we were to deal with Sesshoumaru, or even the others… Therefore, it wouldn't be convenient to delay this vital step of the process any longer"

Still, how to go about it? Who could he trust with this important matter? It wasn't something he could entrust another creature of darkness to do, for it would be futile… Usagi needed training, training from someone versed on the ways of the light, who could teach her to use her powers…

… someone like… a miko?

Mm… _perhaps_.

"Then a village miko it will be; but what miko? And more importantly… _what_ village?"

He considered the subject several times, analyzing it again and again till it hit him.

…_Of course…_

…_He already knew of a very knowledgeable miko, who'd been trained by her own sister…_

_Her very skilled 'older' sister…_

_Kikyo's last living blood relative…_

It was then when Naraku smirked wickedly in trumph.

"…Kaede…"

* * *

Since she'd been dismissed from her Lord' chamber, to make way for her brother's interview with their Master, the other twin detachment sibling had been immersed in her own newly-formed conclusions. 

Her Master… sometimes he seemed to truly care for _that girl_…

It was disgusting.

The female youkai twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers, in serious contemplation. Looking at it, she once again noticed the way her lavender hair was identical to his twin brother, Aku's.

This made her contemplate her origins as well. She knew they were different from the other detachments. _Her_ specially…

…She thought― she _knew _she was nothing like that Kagura, because… she would never ever dare to leave her sensual master, let alone even _wish_ for it.

_If only he knew the power he had over her…_

Her dark, seductive master… who apparently didn't have the slightest idea of just how enticing he was, being that he was willing to set for a wimpy human girl when he could do _so much_ better… His entire visage screamed of a good fuck… The female detachment licked her lips as she once again tried vainly to repress her twisted secretly hidden lust for her so-called 'Father'.

Tsumi secretly disliked Usagi… no; not just _disliked_. She despised her with such intense jealous _hatred_ that it made her sick… The mere "golden girl"'s presence was enough to make the female detachment sick… because she had so easily gotten what Tsumi wanted, and didn't cherish it as much as she should…

Naraku-sama's preferential attentions.

The mere thought of the so called "golden girl" made Tsumi's blood boil in rage.

It wasn't fair... Kindred spirits belonged together, tainted souls like herself and Master Naraku-sama; not that girl _Usagi_ who was so pure to give any _mildly dark_ creature a headache! She _DID NOT_ deserve Naraku-sama! Such a weak, gullible and pathetic human girl would never know of the proper ways to please such a smart, wondrous demon male adult like Naraku-sama! … That stupid, useless, worthless girl that didn't do a thing and understood _nothing_!!! What ever did she do to deserve having Tsumi's object of hidden desire at her very beck and call, laid at her very feet?!

And _now_, that stupid, stupid girl had been the retard enough to babble out everything to the Master, like the brainless crybaby that she was, and gotten Tusmi in trouble with her beloved Lord Naraku.

_Oh, if only she could get rid of her somehow, without the Master realizing it'd been her…_

Struck by a sudden idea, the female incarnation smiled.

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: And the plot thickens…**


	24. Grossed out

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Twenty Three.

'Grossed out

He knew she was upset… his little ward.

He seemed to pretend as if he didn't notice; he would have done so if it'd been anybody else, but, the fact that it was Rin really induced him to make the effort; and notice what was happening not only he did, but the truth was that he'd also been observing Rin furtively every onceina while, studying her, trying to discern the cause of this unusual emotional state. After all, it wasn't often that his little human charge would be so downhearted; acting so reserved and timid around him…

…She was definitely upset for some reason, and for the life of him, Sesshoumaru still couldn't gather why.

That is, until he saw the locket she carried underneath her obi.

…It was _her_ locket…

Obviously, Rin and that golden-haired human girl had gotten along very well… could it be, that _she_ was the cause of Rin's distress? Could the little girl's almost mystical cherishment of the girl's left possession; actually indicate that she _missed_ her?

Sesshoumaru internally sighed. Rin was just a little girl, and a very sensible one at that, with a past filled with abuse at the hands of the villagers she used to live with, after her parents' deaths. It was only natural that she would harbor a special affection towards anyone that treated her with kindness… but could what that girl by the name of Usagi had done, truly be labeled as kindness? Sit down with the child for a few hours, and help her tie some flowers together into a crown?

Then, he had a flashback.

"_You're…smiling? …Why are you so happy? I only asked you a question…"_

There he had his answer: the first time they'd met, when Rin had tried to 'help him' that time she found him wounded, after the incident with Inuyasha and the Tetsusaiga, she had come to him covered with bruises in her face, and he had merely asked her what'd happened… which had been what made her smile.

Kindness…shown by mild concern, though he wouldn't say that'd been his real objective at that moment. It'd been that smile, that single gesture of understanding, symbolizing the completion of exchange of mutual concern, what had sealed their lives together.

Someone else who didn't know Rin the way Sesshoumaru did, would have protested then, why not the girl Kagome? Why not that priestess, Kikyo? _Both_ had saved or helped save Rin from great peril at least once, yet none of them had been quite welcomed inside the little girl's deepest affection, when that strange girl, Usagi, apparently had.

And there, he mused, lay the answer to the mystery.

The oddly dressed girl that traveled with his brother Inuyasha, and the woman who'd sealed Inuyasha to the tree fifty years ago, were both mikos… spiritual people. It was expected they would put themselves on the line to protect the innocent; that's what they'd been trained for. To such women, he supposed, it truly made no difference whether the innocent in danger was a child or an adult, Rin or someone else. They had a duty to carry out no matter the particular identities of the victims involved. It was what they did, and once it'd been done and fulfilled, they no longer had a reason to spend any additional time with those they had rescued.

From what he knew, monks and mikos were spiritual, religious people that usually liked to keep to themselves, concentrating on their worship and communion with the forces of nature. Beyond the act of protecting, they didn't require to know of the particular individualities of each and every single person they helped: find out their likes and dislikes, their personal beliefs, their unique views of life and other every day banalities of the sort; an interest in which usually showed a genuine, deep care for a specific subject.

On the contrary, that blonde haired girl had not only inquired superficially about Rin's wellbeing, but she had seated with her, sincerely listened to what she had to say, and if Jaken's annoying grumbles could be trusted, they had held a very long, warm and vivid conversation, talking about their fixation with flowers and even their mutual lack of fear towards youkai… establishing a kinship in spirits that Sesshoumaru doubted Rin had ever had the chance to truly form before.

Likeness; the first, earliest basis for two human's mutual comprehension and friendship. Rin had made her very first _real_ friend… and _he _had scared her away.

Now he could understand why she was being like this, but Rin would just have to get over it; there was nothing he could do.

Nothing he _would_ do… _That girl_ had insulted him. She was no proper company for his ward, nor an adequate influence that he would ever be able to accept. Sesshoumaru knew he was one to hold a grudge for the longest time, and despite the human's attempts at compensation, that was an episode he wouldn't be able to let pass just yet…

…That was the real reason why he'd driven her right away. To think of it, the girl's great childlike sensibility had made it all the more easier.

That was something that kind of had him torn.

On one hand, he was certain that he found it despicable, how a girl of that greater age would act like less ―though it was also true that he already knew the average human, as the fleeting creatures that they were, made a fuss over non-transcendences and often acted quite like the sentimental wrecks―.

On the other hand, he wasn't certain he was comfortable taking advantage of this to his own suitability, which was keeping humans out of his way; the girl's emotional fragility had reminded him too much of Rin's own, even when they manifested in very different patterns… and it that likeness which, once again, the Taiyoukai found disturbing, for reasons he couldn't begin to fathom.

The Tenseiga's reactions, for starters, drew a big question mark.

_What was the cause for it to start pulsing, both times that specific human had been near? _

Sesshoumaru did not remember the sword ever behaving in that manner before… sizzling when there were no actual dead bodies to behold. Of all the strange happenings lately, this'd been the most disconcerting.

This was something he would have to further investigate, once he'd taken care of another business…

…He needed to find someone else first.

* * *

"Um… Why didn't Niraya-sama tell Aku, or even Tsumi, to escort me?" it was days later when a very nervous Usagi asked this, as she continued to walk between the two youkai along the path towards the human village far ahead, where Lord Niraya had said she was to receive some sort of training.

"Why, Usagi-san. You don't like being in our company?" the black haired half-demon to her right, _'Byaka' _or something, told her with an ironic smile.

At this, the blonde sweat-dropped. _'Am I that obvious?'_

She didn't know which of the two incarnations weirded her out most: the childlike Kanna, with her perpetual impassiveness and vacuous eyes, always carrying her mirror limply around ―she only needed to add the two _hitodama_, a pair of blue flames from the otherworld floating at each side of her head… and she would completely look like a haunting_ yürei_ ghost of the dead in great need for an exorcism, _for God's sake_! ―; or was it the handsome _Byaka_, with his refined features, his awkward sense of humor… and his disturbing knack for detaching organs from his body.

_Yep_… Usagi definitely liked Aku and Tsumi better… at least they didn't act all freaky while being around her.

"Look, Usagi-san; your rejection's made my flower wither" _Byaka_ added when she said nothing, gesturing towards her with that damned tulip he was always carrying around; whereas Kanna ―_surprise surprise, there! ― _stayed silent.

'_And what does he mean that I withered his "flower"? …Kami…it was made of cheapy paper!'_ she immediately stopped that train of thinking when she realized the possible sexual innuendo.

"Erm…I really didn't mean it, Byaka!" the blushing Usagi said nervously.

Unaware of her state, the male incarnation's face was priceless, and he glared at her when he heard that particular mispronunciation again. It sounded too much like "Baka" for his liking. "I already told you Usagi-san, my _name_ is Byak**uya**" he stressed the three letters crossly.

Needless to say, the blonde sweat-dropped again. "Sorry… I keep forgetting"

"Phfmp" the dark haired detachment crossed his arms, raising his head high. _'She should at least have learned what I am called by now'_ he didn't want to admit he was a bit exasperated. ―_'Well, it's his fault for having such a difficult name'_ the blonde thought as if she had heard him ―.

The trio continued walking wordlessly for another while, before he asked her "So you remember all that you have to say, Usagi-san?" he waited for her answer patiently.

"I think" the girl responded with a finger to her chin, and glancing at him as she recited for confirmation "Let's see…I have to tell the Head priestess that I am the daughter of a Shinto priest who recently died, along with the rest of my family, when our shrine was caught on fire; former acquaintances of his have been compassionate enough to sent me here to request being taken in once more as a… um…um…" she scratched her head a couple of times, making a great effort to remember "_Oh yes!_ I recall it now; it was: to be taken in once more as a _miko-in-training_, since a blow to the head during the fire caused me to forget everything my parents had taught me… I wish to complete my training to eventually become a priestess one day…erm… to keep on with the family tradition? _Ugh! That's a lot to memorize!_ …I feel as if I were having a big exam tomorrow…"

"A what?" his voice interrupted, more-high pitched than usual.

"Huh?"

"You were having _a what_? What did you just say?" the blonde looked up, alarmed at his dumbfounded expression. He was piercing her with confusion-filled eyes.

"Uh. A-a-I don't know" she stuttered, becoming redder by the second "that just… sort of rolled out of my mouth… I don't know what it means" she was very mortified now ―_what kind of stupid idiot would speak words that he doesn't have significance for?_ ―.

She turned to the more childlike detachment for some help out of the embarrassing situation, yet quite predictably, Kanna only stared at her emptily, together with her male comrade, for the longest minutes of most deafening silence. In those seconds, Usagi could swear she even heard the distant tree leaves' creaking.

"Um" the blonde gulped, "Shall I continue with the speech?" she finally murmured when their stares started to unnerve her. She did not wait for a reply before proceeding. "I will tell her that they've sent me with―" she paused to take a bag out of the _futokoro_, theinner pocket of her kimono "―some silvercoins to take care of the expenses… _Aren't _those a bit too much, Byakuya-san?"

"Not if you say that some of these _former acquaintances _of your father's were very wealthy people"the dark incarnation supplied, still with that odd assessing look on his face "Also, don't forget to mention the reason you weren't attacked by bandits during the journey was because those rich people had a low level samurai escort you"

The blonde nodded, swallowing hard. "Makes sense…" she sighed, then looked him in the eye "However…is it really necessary… _all this lying?_" she said with a distraught expression. She wanted to sure know for sure before she finished gathering her wits about her and departed to confront the miko.

"You already know how humans feel about half-breeds, Usagi-san" the white haired nihility spoke for the first time in a dull voice, startling the youth "You mustn't mention to any of them who we are"

"But… how long will I have to stay there, with those people? …Will I be able to come back?" the girl turned around hesitantly, as if afraid to ask "I don't understand" she sounded so dejected out of the blue "Why is Niraya-sama sending me to this place, Kanna? Have I done anything to displease him, for him to want to send me away?!" she asked with a passion, her eyes watering.

These people had been the only ones she could remember. As far as she was concerned, they were the only people she had ever _known_.

"Usagi-san, you must do as Niraya-sama says. You must be patient" the Void detachment said bleakly… It was harder for Usagi to listen to the piece of advice given by such an emotionless voice.

'_I don't want to… I don't want to leave…' _the golden-haired youth thought miserably, feeling like she was no longer wanted. How could her Lord have asked her to leave the only home she'd ever known… for as short as she remembered?

_It was cruel. _

If only Aku'd been here… but no. Neither him, nor Tsumi had been considered reliable enough to carry out this important task of bringing her to the outskirts of the village; not once after Niraya-sama had caught on their transgressions.

_On the other hand, why did Niraya-sama even want her to become a miko, to begin with? _

…_Wasn't she fine as she was?_

Once again, she felt as if, for some unexplained reason, she was not good enough for these two. She'd always believed her beloved Niraya-sama's thinking was different.

_Perhaps she was wrong_

That way, with her head down and her shoulders slumped, she was the vivid image of depression. Byakuya didn't need to be a genius to figure out she was desolate.

'_Not good' _he thought to himself _'if it keeps like this, she'll soon start crying and there's no way she'll ever accept going inside the village… The Master won't be pleased, he expressly told us to make sure she did so safely…' _

'…_I thought the Master had explained everything to her clearly! Why is the silly girl having second thoughts **now**?' _he protested inwardly, rather uncomfortable, wanting to scream in frustration.

He didn't have the slightest idea how to deal with crying women. Still, he had to get her to snap out of it… _fast. _

―For she'd already started hiccupping―

Finally, he came up with an idea. If he couldn't comfort her, he would distract her…

"Oh, Usagi-san… You already know it'll be only for a short time… Niraya-sama merely expects you to be there for a while, you know" he told her cheerfully as he raised his hand to his right eye.

Unchanged, Usagi kept her grief-stricken stare on the ground.

"You shouldn't be sad, Usagi-san… you know. It won't be so bad; for I will always… _be keeping an eye on you!_" with a quick flick of his hand he took out his right eye and held it in front of her face, showing it to her.

The blonde jumped.

"KYAAAA!!!!" Usagi's high pitched scream reverberated through the forest, scaring away the birds.

"WAHAHAHAHA!! What's the matter, Usagi-san? You don't like my eye?" he said exploding with laughter "you should take it with you to the village, to keep you company!"

"Are you insane?! _GET THAT **THING** AWAY FROM ME!_" the blonde yelled in fright, looking at the jelly, bloodied and moving eye-ball on his hand with horror, and jumping to hide behind an unperturbed Kanna. "It's GROSS!!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO **THAT** IN FRONT OF ME!"

"Oh, but detaching organs from one's body, as you call it, is so much fun!" he loved making her squirm like this: it was the perfect cure of boredom…

(Needless to say, this was the reason Usagi didn't like him)

"I'll tell Niraya-sama… _you_ are crazy!" the girl cried as she crouched down, covering her head with her arms as she continued to hide behind the void incarnation. She could still hear the substracted eye's sprouted bat wings flapping around as the other detachment roared with laughter.

"That's it, Byakuya" the void child finally intervened with an indifferent whisper "Put that thing back in so we can get back to what we were doing"

Hearing those words, the mischievous detachment controlled his mirth and snatched his eye-ball from where it was flying in mid-air to cork it back inside its socket. He knew that, if even the void child was willing to reprimand it, it was really _enough_.

"Very well"

"Now, Usagi-san" the child youkai said turning towards her "we'll be keeping constant watch on you. One of us will contact you periodically to inform Niraya-sama of your progress."

"And when it comes the time to take you back, we will come for you" the taller incarnation added.

"Really?" the anxious human asked hopefully. Both demon servants nodded.

"Now. You must go" repeated the void child.

They waited for her expectantly.

Seeing this, the golden-haired human girl sighed.

"…Tell Aku and Tsumi to visit me…"

Slowly, she turned back around to face her newest ordeal.

* * *

Moments later, the peasant inhabitants of the village turned to look at the curious girl newcomer in the elegant _furisode_.

"I came to see the local miko…"

"…Kaede-sama?"

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

GLOSSARY

'Byakuya' is Kagura's replacement in the manga. He is Naraku's latest _canon _detachment.

'Baka' means stupid.

'Kami' means 'God'.

'Futokoro' is the inner pocket of the kimono.

'Furisode' is the most formal kimono worn by unmarried women.

'Yürei' means ghost of a dead person.

'Hitodama' are the two colored flames (usually blue) that are often depicted at both sides of the head of a person in a Japanese painting, to show that the 'person' is the haunting ghost of a deceased.

**A/N: Usagi's been temporarily removed from Naraku's side now… what's going to happen? How will Kaede-baba take the news of having a 'student'?**

**Find out in the next chapter! **


	25. Hell

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha. Only few parts of the Inuyasha comic have been considered and lightly modified in some chapters, for the sake of future plot developments of this particular story. No copyright infringement or economical damage has been intended, but to make anime-only acquainted fans all the more curious about the manga of Rumiko Takahashi._

_The writing of this story is not to gain profit but to vent stress and for my personal pleasure._

**Warning: _Major manga SPOILERS ahead. Read on with extreme caution…_**

Chapter Twenty Four.

'Hell'

Weeks later found the followers of a certain silver haired Demon Lord getting closer and closer to the area of the High Mountains. None of the other members of the group could fathom the motive for this course of action being taken; yet not considering the Taiyoukai as one to be openly questioned, follow they did; their minds constantly plagued by private interrogation.

They had entered in the middle of a solitary meadow, when they noticed their leader pause to look at the sky.

"Master Jaken" Rin started in a small whisper "what do you think that Lord Sesshoumaru might be doing?"

"Like I know…" the small demon responded in a foul humor "these last days he's been acting like he's looking for something"

The answer made the little girl take her gaze from the silver figure standing ahead with their back on them, to fix them on the tad-bit irked Jaken. "Is it something very important?"

"That is quite obvious!" the green toad snapped.

Not paying attention to him, the little girl turned to look at their other human companion, mild concern shinning in her brown orbs.

'_Kohaku still hasn't gotten over what happened to that Lady priestess' _she observed with a sympathetic sigh, when a sudden movement up above caught her attention.

"Huh?! What's that?!"

Hearing her outburst, Kohaku looked up as well. _'…a dog-demon?!'_

"_Sesshoumaru-sama!!_" both children yelled when they saw their leader take up his Inu form to join the creature soaring among the cloudy skies.

Soon though, the true youkai form of the Demon Lord hovered back to land on the ground, followed close by what looked like a female dog demon, where the two of them reverted to their more humanoid image.

"My Lord!" the toad shouted as he and the human followers run towards him, wary of what this new demon might do.

"...So it was you, Sesshoumaru" the woman youkai spoke at last, her gaze set firmly on the male inu-demon, who stared at her right back.

"E-eh?! Who do you think you are?! How _dare_ you address Lord Sesshoumaru without the honorific owed to his title?!" Jaken cried in outrage, but both of them ignored him.

"I thought you could have information of Father's memento, Tenseiga" Sesshoumaru said in the end after a long silence.

The woman youkai gave an ironic smile.

"So you're saying you came to visit your mother?" she questioned unexpectedly with an eyebrow raised.

"EH?!"

"HIS _MOTHER_?!"

Jaken, Rin and Kohaku cried all at once… That was when they started noticing the striking similarities between the two.

…For starters, the female youkai had the same long silver-white hair, which was up in two ponytails ―though in a very aristocratic style― with two locks let loose on either side of her face; apparently, she had the same golden eyes, parted silver bangs, an identical crescent moon on her forehead, and she was wearing a soft white pelt huddled around her shoulders as well. The only differences consisted in that she only had one stripe marring each cheek and the fact that she, of course, was dressed as a lady, with an elaborate kimono, and an odd collar of pearls from which a strange medallion with a red stone was hanging.

'…_that gem... it used to belong to my Father...' _Sesshoumaru thought as his eyes set on the ruby red stone.

"So you've come to me because you wish to know about Tenseiga?" his mother repeated "Very well… but let us ascend to my castle in the heavens, first"

"Will be done" the Lord of the Western Lands assented.

Some time later, with the help of Ah-Un and a certain toad getting a hold of his master's fur, the group had made it to the cloudy top of one of the mountains, where a large palace structure rested.

Once there, the female inu-demon sat comfortably on a throne-like seat before facing the newcomers. Her eyes skimmed over Rin and Kohaku casually.

"Tell me something, Sesshoumaru… don't you truly despise humans?"

The younger youkai stayed silent, so she continued.

"Those two human children you're keeping with you…" she noted with some mirth "do you plan to eat them?"

"Huh?!!"

"_What??!_"

Ignoring the shocked gasps coming from behind them, the Taiyoukai scowled.

"That is ridiculous…" he immediately decided to go straight to the point. "The method to use the Tenseiga to open the _Meidou_… the path to the underworld…" he started "…you surely heard it from my father, haven't you?"

The woman shrugged, closing her eyes. "Perhaps…" she conceded gracefully "He only entrusted me with this _Meidou Seki_ stone, after all"

"…_Meidou Seki_? Is that what that stone is?"

She nodded. "He told me to use it if you ever happened to come by… Oh yes! He also told me… _when you use the Meidou Seki, Sesshoumaru, you will face a great danger… However, you mustn't feel sadness or fear_"

"And she says that while smiling?" an incredulous Jaken muttered.

"She doesn't look very worried" Rin said in a murmur beside the toad.

"In a sense… mother and son seem very alike" the toad commented with narrowed eyes.

Apparently unaware of these undercurrent evaluations, the two greater demons continued with their own exchange.

"What is it that you're going to do, Sesshoumaru? …Do not leave your mother waiting" the woman said with a self-sufficient tone of voice.

"Hmph… It never crossed my mind" her son interjected.

"In that case… shall we have a little fun, then?" the Lady smiled wickedly, as she held up the medallion with the _Meidou Seki_.

In that instant, the red stone started shinning brightly, opening a portal ―to another dimension, presumably― from which a raven black, red-eyed giant hellhound came out… and attacked Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" the others shouted with worry as the Demon Lord struck the infernal beast with his Heavenly sword to no avail.

"Meidou Zangetsu-HA!" the Demon Lord shouted as he threw his most powerful attack, apparently, once again in vain.

"Lord Sesshoumaru's sword did not cut through it… and the _Meidou_ isn't absorbing that creature?!" Jaken exclaimed fearfully with shock.

"So this is Sesshoumaru's _Meidou_… it is in no way close to completing the full circle" his mother commented to herself with an appraising look, and then to the others "That is a hellhound, Sesshoumaru… no matter what you do, your sword won't be able to wound it, neither heal it"

Non-accepting of these words, the Lord continued slashing at the beast, who stepped away in the end…

…only to leap towards Kohaku and Rin instead.

"Whaa-??! _It's coming this way!!!_" Kohaku shouted, rushing to stand in front of a frightened Rin.

"HELP!!_ SESSHOUMARU-SAMA !!!_" was the last thing they heard before the hellhound took the two children between its massive jaws and jumped into the dimensional hole of the _Meidou_ that'd just been created by Sesshoumaru, running away before he had the chance to stop it.

"Wait, Sesshoumaru!" his mother shouted when she saw him about to follow "will you truly go through, inside the _Meidou_? Following that path you will only lead you towards the plane of the dead, the world of Hell…, and all this merely to save some humans? You've become quite soft"

"Hn. I'm only going in there to slay that dog" the Taiyoukai said before passing through and disappearing inside.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! …Oh no! The space rift has closed!" Jaken said when he saw the hole shut after his master.

"Once the _Meidou_ is closed, it's over" the Inu-Youkai Lady commented "he will never be able to come back to the world of the living… That is why I told him not to go in there"

"NO… the point here is that you did NOT tell him" the toad-demon, Jaken, confronted her.

"Mhm" the Lady took her gaze away from him to make herself more comfortable on her throne "no matter how many tests his father subjects him to, it is never enough" she said in deep reflection.

"…What's going to happen to Lord Sesshoumaru?" the small servant called as a ways to regain her attention.

"Shut up and stop whimpering" the Youkai Lady told him curtly, her stare still far ahead in a contemplating manner, "For the Sword of Heaven to mature finally, a lot of sacrifices must be made… Oh, Sesshoumaru has used Tenseiga's healing power"

The last sentence took Jaken completely by surprise, and his stare grew large.

"Nani?! How can you tell?!"

"I can see what is happening with my son, if I have this on my hand" she gestured to the medallion between her open palms "this _Meidou Seki_ is connected with the _Meidou_, after all. It allows me to see into the plane of the Underworld"

"But… if my Lord's used the sword's healing power, does it mean that something's happened to the life of young Rin, in that ominous plane?" the retainer said to himself in wonder, getting more and more concerned.

"Little youkai" the former Lady of the West whispered, shifting to stare in his direction.

"Huh? Me?! My name is Jaken…" he informed her "but―"

"What does that human girl mean to Sesshou?" the Lady interrupted.

"Even if you ask me that…I don't know what to say…" the youkai servant bowed his head "…It's just the fact that despite I, Jaken, have been under the master's service for many years, that girl, Rin, is always being treated with more preference"

"That child will die" the Youkai Lady said with a small contemplative smile.

"EH?!!" the toad cried in utter surprise.

"No matter what happens, that child is only a human to Sesshoumaru… If she is not taken out of the _Meidou_ in time, her life will be already lost"

When those ominous words were spoken the servant demon was left shocked, and could only stare in deep silence for the longest time.

…Meanwhile, the dog youkai female continued to look inside the stone…

"Oh, look" she gestured to him after a while "my son has killed the hound with Tenseiga's healing, how ironic… The two humans are with him now, and they're following the path towards the thickest part of the darkness… The taijiya boy is carrying the little girl on his back now, but the little girl seems to be unconscious"

"What? Oh no! This can not be good…" the retainer murmured, upset.

"Indeed, it is not" the woman sad as she continued looking "the only way back has just crumbled behind them, and they can now only keep forward, but even if they keep going forward, the only destination ahead is the plane of Hell itself"

What will they find there…? When they arrive in Hell?"

"Nothing"

"_Nothing?! _But you've just said…?! Wasn't this a test to further develop the power of the Tenseiga?!"

"Once they set foot on the thickest, _true_ darkness of the Underworld… everything will be over. Not even Sesshoumaru will be capable of returning back to this plane again… let alone a human being. They are going into that darkness right now, but they shouldn't. If they do, their lives will― Oh… it's too late now… the woman child has stopped breathing"

"Rin… _is not breathing?!_" the toad refused to believe it.

"No… she isn't; and my son doesn't look to be taking it very well. Even though he's just unsheathed Tenseiga, he can not see the pall bearers; he can not see the messengers of hell, retrieving her soul for the dead. And if he can't see them… he can't kill them to bring her back to life"

"But there has to be a mistake! Is Rin…?!" filled by the cold grip of dread, he was unable to finish the sentence.

"Yes… she is completely dead… What's more, she can _not _be brought back this time. Sesshoumaru's already tried using the Tenseiga… and it's not working."

"_But- but IT CAN'T BE!!_" Jaken shouted in quick denial, overwhelmed with the heaviness of ice-cold despair.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

"Lord Sesshoumaru, little Rin is… little Rin is…she is _still_ dead!" Kohaku cried.

"…"

"She is still not breathing, not responding at all… Her body's still getting colder and colder, I think…- I think the sword's powers are not bringing her back to us!" the boy turned to stare at the Demon Lord in dismay, whereas the Demon Lord wore an unmistakable expression of shock.

Sesshoumaru didn't want to think of it, he didn't want to think that the boy could be right.

But he was…

Rin was dead, he could sense it; and the sword was not bringing her back this time…

He didn't want to believe it.

He could _not_ accept it…

But it was true.

Rin was dead… and she couldn't be brought back this time.

Rin was dead…

…_And it was all his fault._

Even for him… suddenly… it was _too much_.

"WHY, TENSEIGA??!"

The young taijiya boy turned shocked towards his master, amazed at unexpected the display of passionate emotion.

"ANSWER ME!!"

"I am sorry, Lord Sesshoumaru… as long as I am with you, I will only bring you problems and be of no help at all" the young boy said ashamed, still holding onto Rin's limp hand.

"Be silent…"

"Huh?"

"I shouldn't have brought her with me…" Sesshoumaru murmured, overwhelmed by a swarm of inexplicable emotions "When I revived her after she'd been killed by the wolves… at that moment, if I had taken her back to human village, and left her there, with her own kind, this wouldn't have happened…"

Out of the blue, Kohaku looked up. 'What's that strange sound?'

When he saw it, his eyes widened.

"The darkness… _is spreading?!_"

* * *

"The spirits of the underworld have even come and swept her body away from them, just now: that was what the darkness spreading over them truly was; it is the reason the girl's corpse has suddenly disappeared from their side …Not to mention, Sesshoumaru, that if you want to get her corpse back, like it seems that you are about to do, the only path left for you to take at this moment is the path into the _true darkness of the Underworld_, from which you will never get out… It is just before your very eyes now…" 

"But if they enter in there… you said that if they enter in there they will not come back! _They'll die!_" Jaken exclaimed "They will die too! If Sesshoumaru-sama dies… is Sesshoumaru-sama dies, what will I do?!"

He turned to the female youkai for comfort, but she only managed to stare on in silence.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Rin is dead and Sesshoumaru can't bring her back… or can he? If you have any doubts regarding this chapter, re-read the disclaimer. Next chapter, we continue seeing what happened with Usagi…**


	26. Unspoken reflections

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Twenty Five.

'Unspoken reflections'

"So Sesshoumaru's found a connection to the ancient Moon Kingdom… _how very interesting_…" the former Lady of the West said to herself as she once again got more comfortable on her throne.

Her son and his followers had already departed; content to be leaving the place in similar number to when they had arrived.

Of course, that'd been all thanks to _her_. It seemed like her stubborn, non-charismatic son could not be trusted to do anything important all by himself these days.

And like any _good_ mother, she had helped.

…She could still remember her son's words while still in the Underworld, when he'd finally recovered the body of the dead human girl, only to realize she could not be saved any longer…

"…_Just for something like this, Rin, I let you die… To obtain **this** in exchange for Rin's life… isn't worth a thing!" the Demon Lord shouted as he threw the Tenseiga away._

Such sadness…

…such emotion...

…and all that for a simple human female…

He was becoming like his father in the strangest ways.

It was at that rather meaningful moment that the Heavenly Sword he'd throw to the ground previously had started pulsing, covering the entire Underworld with its radiant light, and purifying the mountain of corpses that they had found in the darkness of Hell together with the one of that human child.

…It was by that miracle's holy light that the two of them, the taijiya and the Demon Lord, had been able to come back with the dead body of the child grasped tightly in the Demon Lord's arms.

She would never forget the expression on her son's face when he'd been told the reason why the Heavenly sword wasn't working.

"_I see you've made it back, after all… so the child is truly gone? …What is it, Sesshoumaru? You look upset…Why? Tenseiga's matured, just as you desired; the fact that it purified all those corpses in Hell gives unquestionable proof of that. Don't you find it satisfying?"_

"_You knew that this would happen to Rin…" it was a statement, not a question._

"_You've revived that human child using Tenseiga already once, haven't you? … The Sword of Heaven can only revive each dead person once…" _

It had taken a mother's sensible words to make her son finally realize of his errors… she could read it on the shocked expression with which he had reacted.

"…_It's only natural… given that all life is finite. It is not something you can save as many times as you want to your own personal convenience… Did you actually think that, as long as you had Tenseiga, you had the powers similar to a God's?"_

'_Sesshoumaru… that was what you had to learn… that when your heart wishes to save a loved one… it must, at the same time, also feel the fear and sadness of loosing them… Fear and sadness… You father said that too. …Tenseiga is a healing sword… Even when it is wielded as a weapon, you must understand the value of life, and harbor a compassionate heart when sending your enemy to the other world '_

"_Do you mean to say that, in order for Lord Sesshoumaru to gain a compassionate heart…Rin had to die?!" Jaken had asked in deep incredulity and grief._

"_So it seems…nothing worthwhile is gained without sacrifice …Are you sad, Sesshoumaru?" the mother of the Western Lord had inquired._

…That was the moment it happened…

A star-shaped object had fallen off from under the dead human child's sash of her kimono…

_Attracted by the bright golden color, the InuYoukai Lady had picked it up and examined it._

"_What exactly is this odd trinket, Sesshoumaru?" she had asked as she inspected it, puzzled when the lid opened and started playing music at the rhythm of a crescent moon's spiraling "…Sesshoumaru? Where did she get this?!" she turned to confront her son wildly, completely appaled at what she'd found._

"…_Eh…some human woman wanted to give it to Lord Sesshoumaru, but he didn't take it, so Rin did in his place" Jaken answered for him when his Lord remained silent. _

_He couldn't figure out why all of a sudden it was so important._

"_A human woman?" the dog-demon woman had said with an ironic voice, as if she didn't believe him "little youkai…are you sure?" she looked from the servant to the master and then back and forth, as if questioning both._

"_It's merely some odd human trinket" the Lord of the West had replied, his voice laced with pretended indifference, though deep inside he was feeling strangely tense "what difference does it make where it came from?"_

"_Oh, Sesshoumaru…" the Youkai Lady had laughed then, raising the object to his eye level "you don't have **any** idea what this is… do you?"_

_Intrigued by this question and in no mood to beat around the bush, he shook his head._

"_No, unfortunately I do not… but I suspect that you're about to tell me… aren't you… Mother?" he said cynically, attempting to bait her, half in anger at having to decipher her constant riddles and half still in great rage against himself for what had happened to Rin, because of **him**, not long ago._

_Realizing his intent, though, she smirked._

'_Well, two can play that game'_

"_Mhm… You'd like to know something son?…I think you suspect wrong" she said in a regal dismissing fashion, causing Jaken's jaw to drop to the floor "If you've been careless enough to let some puny human girl take possession of it, I don't think you really deserve to know what it is…"_

_Oh, she was playing with him… and how she enjoyed it. _

"_You will have to find out on your own" she turned her back on him to hide her full-fledged grin of amusement._

_This time the Taiyoukai scowled darkly._

"_Very well" he said curtly already turning around to leave, picking the body of the dead girl up from the altar-like surface on which he had placed it immediately after arriving back from the Underworld, in hopes that his mother would know a way to help her._

_It'd become quite evident now that those hopes had been in vain…_

"_Wait, Sesshoumaru" he heard her call when he'd already taken no more than two steps "Don't leave yet"_

"_What possible other reason would you have for retaining me here?" he said with his back still to her "I've already gone through that test Father had fabricated, and got absolutely **nothing** in return" he spoke with resentment "with the only exception that one of my companions is now dead…Won't you allow me to leave this castle in peace, so I can find a proper place to bury her?"_

_The Lady Mother of the West tilted her head to the side "That is not my current intention" her golden eyes were focused on the back of her son, noticing the way his shoulders tensed… and his head bowed down._

"_What is your intention, then?" he inquired in what was almost a tone of defeat, still overwhelmed by intense emotions._

"_To help you bring that girl back to life… one more time" she said in a low whisper. _

_Whatever he'd been expecting her to say, it surely had **not **been this. _

"_What do you mean?" he said, raising his head back up, but not tunring to face her just yet._

"_I mean, son… that I can help her"_

"_How?"_

"_Do the favor of placing her back on the altar…and I'll show you" _

_He did as she said, and then the Youkai Lady proceeded to lift the chain with the hanging medallion and stone off her chest._

"_Don't think that I will do this again" she warned her son very seriously, then placed the medallion around the little girl's neck, whereas Sesshoumaru looked on intently, with somewhat anxious expectative._

_Then the red stone of the Meido Seki started glowing brightly… _

"_The light that comes out from the Meidou Seki, is the child's soul and lifeforce which had stayed stranded in Hell" the regal Demon female confirmed._

…_and then the little girl opened her eyes. _

"_RIN!!!" Kohaku and Jaken shouted, amazed at this incredible event, when the confused child started to cry, having just realized of all the implications of her nightmarish recent ordeal._

…_Whereas Sesshoumaru could only stare in the girl's lively eyes with barely concealed relieved wonder… walking closer, he caressed her right cheek with his single hand._

"_Sesshoumaru-sama" though a bit surprised, the little girl grasped his larger hand within her smaller one, returning the unusual display of affection with a tender smile. _

"_Hush. It's all well now" his warm voice and attitude encouraged her to stop crying. _

"All that scandal over a dead small child…" The Demon woman whispered to herself again while alone in that part of her castle, having finished her recollection of the past events.

He _truly_ was becoming like his father in the strangest ways.

Oh well.

She guessed it might even help in his future mission… the one she was certain not even her son was aware of which, yet.

However, considering the significant findings, she deemed it safe to believe that he soon would be.

Even if it was hard to believe, even for one as old as her…

…_it had been such a long time…_

…_It was somehow hard to believe that it would finally happen, now of all times, after nearly two millenniums have already passed… _

…Sesshoumaru was truly the one descendant of their line that would finally find the last living heir to the Moon Kingdom?

The signs appeared to indicate as much… t was intriguing, if she said so herself.

When that happened, if it ever did… this _Meidou Seki_ stone would finally be able to fulfill its original purpose… ―she though as she clutched the mystical stone.

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: Understand now why it was absolutely necessary that I include that particular part of the manga? Both Sesshoumaru's rather gradual change of perspective, and the Meidou Seki stone which is being kept by his mother, are going to play important roles in the future development of this story… and that is when all this 'separate' plotlines meet together… So, keep reading and find out when it happens! **

**Cheers!**

**Jay FicLover**


	27. Double personality

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, but I do own the plot of this story, the characters of Aku and Tsumi… and I also think I might own the specific translations that I made of some fragments of the Inuyasha comic, given I made them myself from a publication in Spanish of the aforementioned manga, into the English language (but I'm not that sure about those, hehe, so never mind)… _

_Anyhow, this is **not** for profit, and I'm not that good a translator anyway._

Chapter Twenty Six.

'Double personality'

It was early in the morning when the priestess Kaede-sama had awakened to begin with her daily chores.

It was a beautiful day, with warm sunshine and a delicate breeze delicately sweeping across the village. Children were out playing in the grounds happily, their laughing voices filling the morning air with their joy as the adults worked in the rice paddy fields of flooded parcels and the _hatake _land for other types of crops, with the helpful assistance of horses, cows and farm implements made of iron.

It was a really calm day.

If only Kikyo were there with her to enjoy such a peaceful day… but the wizened priestess had already been made known it was not to be with a mystical certainty.

A lone tear dropped from a wrinkled eye.

"Onee-san…"

"_Wow, look! Sunset's a red, brilliant color! Isn't it beautiful, Kaede-sama?"_

"_Yes… However, it's also foreshadowing… almost like the color of blood…" _

She could still remember the feeling of heavy consternation she had felt at the sinister premonition that something bad had once again happened to her dear older sister, Kikyo… only to see the lights in the sky later that day, which had helped her confirm it:

Her beloved sister was dead… and this time it was forever. Kaede would no longer have her unannounced visits to look forward to, to be able to temporarily reunite with her and talk about old times… not that her sister had been much of a talker in her latest, trance-like form.

Still, it'd been painful, either way… Kaede had felt as if she'd been turned back to an eight-year-old all over again, watching as her sister died, helplessly… that heart-wrenching, gut-twisting sensation of impotence swarming in, filling her chest and threatening to drown her.

It'd been an experience she hoped she wouldn't have to repeat yet another, _third_ time ― Even when Shinto taught their people to be usually life accepting, Kaede seriously thought that if anyone dared to resurrect her sister for their selfish needs _one more time_, restarting all of their suffering yet _one more time_; even as old, tired and growingly deteriorated as she currently was, she would probably end murdering them with her very own bare hands... for even the most accepting, pious of people had their limits.

For now, though, she had more important matters to see to… like the necessity of having her community cease and modify their rituals, prayers and other services honoring her sister, to better respond to her deceased soul's now transmogrified circumstances; then studying the case of the newest apprentice and future candidate for priesthood, the fair haired recent newcomer who she'd left alone to initiate her morning rounds and pray for abundant harvests in the summer. That person was most probably still lying on the floor of Kaede's hut, unperturbed and continuing with her unabated snoring… No one in the entire village was ever capable of waking her up when she overslept, for she dozed off like a rock when she wanted to.

…_Usagi_.

Usagi; that girl with the uncommon name surely was proving to be an unresolved enigma… _'More so than even Kagome'_ the priestess thought warily.

It wasn't that she distrusted the girl _herself_, exactly… at least, not yet: although she was a unmistakably clumsy and lazy, inherently naïve and impressionable; loud and outspoken too, like Kagome; she was also very sweet and lovable, not unlike Kagome, and her very _being_ seemed to shine like a beacon of light for all those that had their spiritual senses alert and developed enough to see it; henceforth, her suitability for the role she wanted to pursue was more than testified for. No… it wasn't the true nature of her intentions what the old priestess was willing to put under question… it was just that, somehow, some parts of the story which the blank-memory-suffering child had said she'd been told to introduce herself with sounded a bit _off_.

What kind of noble people had the time, in these times of great conflict, constant war and peril, to make friendship with a humble priest enough to rescue his daughter in a moment of imperious need, dress her up with one of their extremely elegant kimonos, a _furisode_,and send her off with a military escort, to ensure her safety till she got to a village far away while carrying with her a pouch swelling in silver coins?

Although not impossible, the description of the affair sounded highly unlikely. Kaede reckoned she was not a suspicious person by nature; however, a life of priesthood learned through hardships, disappointments and being on the receiving end of others' many attempts at deception, had taught her to listen to her intuitions and not to immediately take things at face value.

What had made her all the more skeptic was the _furisode_; a dark, delicately sewn plain blue, black and purple kimono (_blue, black and purple_ of all colors), the only distinguishing design of which was an unknown _kanon _heraldic symbol in the middle of the back that she couldn't recognize, and which consisted of complex characters in very ancient language that she could roughly translate as _'Consort of the Land of the Star of Crescent Shadow'_.

Needless to say… which and _where_ was the Land of the Star of Crescent Shadow… and what was more confounding, what did it entail to be its _consort_? Had the young, inexpert girl borrowed it from some ill-tasted, noble Lord's daughter or Lady…? …For the phrase certainly sounded like a kind of esoteric, complicated title adopted by someone wanting to either be _original_ or increase the general fear and respect for their status ―the priestess thought with some unappeasable disdain.

Feeling pity over the pretty young woman in those hideous clothes, she had instantly told her to change into the better-combined ones that a subordinate miko had provided; the white and red garments of a miko-in-training. She had also wanted to tell the child to cut her hair and tie it down in the usual fashion of the mikos, but she'd in the end decided that this could wait until later, when she'd already become a proper miko by right.

On the other hand, the youth's occasional eerie accents, her manner of speech, the big bluish-pigmented irises…her long light mane and the quite apparent Chinese hairstyle it was in ―tight twin buns at each side of the top of her head, with two streams of tresses dropping to a little downer than her knees― all the more pointed to a foreign ancestry of some sort. There was no way this girl could have been _just_ Japanese… for those traits to be so stand-off-ish, there had to be some other variant mixed into her bloodline.

She knew it surely wasn't youkai, though: Kaede would have been able to sense it if this girl's blood had presented even the smallest of traces of _youki_; so the question remained…

…Was it foreign _human_ blood, or somewhat… **_other?_** Kaede didn't want to act so unwise as to rush into conclusion and believe that her devote, humble village had been chosen for the great honors of receiving the visit of an elder _Kami_, or some other celestial being, in disguise… but still; the child just had that rather subtle, so very mysterious and alluring quality about her, like nobody else the aged priestess had ever seen…

From the moment she had arrived a few days prior, many of the people in their village had acted as if they'd not only been intrigued, but also as if they'd been attracted to her with just one single glance: some of them had reacted by warming up to her rather quickly, welcoming her rather trustingly to the community with open arms, whereas others had been a tad apprehensive and attempted to stay as far away as possible… but none of them had quite been what one would describe as indifferent.

Had all that merely been because she was a newcomer, pretty much a stranger to their often secluded society, and an odd looking one at that? Kaede didn't know why this explanation, though being the most logical, never quite managed to satisfy her completely… as if something else was nagging at the edge of her awareness, with persistent insistence that it be considered too.

What that something truly was, it was something she was unable to tell as well.

'_If only Onee-san were still here to offer the aid of her superior wisdom to me' _the old woman thought with a dejected sigh _'it might have been more helpful than anything'_

Because if the girl wasn't a Kami, the only other possible cause for her being so blindingly pure as she appeared sometimes, was that she'd come from the very same kind of piteous creatures as that one individual once described by Kikyo; the mercenary with the case of double contrasting personalities known as 'Suikotsu', for they believed that nothing of light could ever exist with absolute no traces of darkness… This was the possibility which had lately become Kaede's greatest source of concern. _What in the world would she and the villagers do if the young girl happened to out of the blue turn into a bloodthirsty murderess when something set her off?_ ―Not to mention that the transition from viewing her as a Kami, to a potential cold-blooded killer, was as drastic as they ever came, at best―

However, given the chance that this last theory was actual fact, it was all the more reason for Kaede to train her. A more substantial knowledge of the spiritual forces outside herself and within would most certainly help the child learn to better refrain and control her impulses., leveling her two diachronic modes of behavior into a single, more balanced one, that'd give her the stability necessary to carry a preferable normal life.

That way, they'd be suppressing the possibility of her ever becoming a menace…

For all that they knew, perhaps that'd even been the _real_ reason she'd been sent there, to them, in the first place.

* * *

Very far away from there and high in the mountains, the aristocratic silver haired youkai was receiving an expected visit.

"Why have you called me here, Lady of the West?" was the visitor's inquiry.

"I have called for you because something in relation to the Moon Kingdom has finally happened. I thought you needed to be made aware of that" the poised woman responded from her throne, unblinking.

"As surprising as that is, milady… what is it that you want me to do?" the visitor asked, trying not to sound _too_ disrespectful.

"Well, as I said, I merely thought that you were of the one of the ones that needed to know" she said with what sounded like indifference "I had thought that, once you did, you would surely know what to do instead of be standing here, asking me stupid questions" she turned her head to the side and flipped her hair in dismissal.

"Of course" the figure smiled lightly in the shadows "how rude of me, please excuse my manners… it was just a tad bit unexpected…" he bowed.

"Whatever, you may go now…" the Lady said, looking terribly bored with the entire situation "I don't want you in my Palace for a second longer than necessary" she added, her eyes still to the side and her nose wrinkling.

"Will be done at once; thank you for the information… _milady_" the figure said before they turned back and disappeared.

The Lady sighed.

She hoped she'd done the right thing. It'd been most unavoidable, though, if she ever wanted to learn the truth about the prophecy…

The one that'd been said at the time of Sesshoumaru's birth.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the words, reciting them in her head like a long learned melody.

"**_When the last child of Hecate meets with the last child of Selene, a millenniums-old conflict will finally be resolved… but crimson blood will too be spilled in abundance…"_**

Whose blood would it be… was the only question in her mind.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

GLOSSARY

'Onee-san' means, formally, 'Big Sister'.

'Hatake' is the farmland not used to grow rice, but other, whereas paddy fields to grow rice are known as 'Ta'.

**A/N: Now Kaede thinks Usagi is some sort of bipolar schizophrenic… (roars with laughter) no offence to those, though. Do you think there's even a slim chance she _might_ be right? (amused grin) To Kaede-baba: _Of course_ her eyes would look bigger and in a different color, since she comes from another show! …Sorry I couldn't post this as a Valentine's sort of present (chuckle) but the info required for this particular chapter took a longer time to find. Anyway… who do you think 'the visitor' was? Guess away, I wanna hear your thoughts! **


	28. Useless

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

Chapter Twenty Seven.

'Useless'

"_Nothing worthwhile is gained without sacrifice"_, that had been his mother's words.

"_What you had to learn was that when your heart wishes to save a loved one, it must experience at the same time, the despairing fear and loneliness of loosing them too.' _

More of those words echoed in his head.

'_Fear and loneliness, Sesshoumaru… your Father spoke about them … Tenseiga is a healing sword… even when used as a weapon, you must learn to cherish the value of life… and harbor a compassionate heart when sending your enemies towards Death" _

Fear and loneliness…

…Loneliness and fear.

Had those been… what he had felt then?

"…_Are you sad, Sesshoumaru?"_

Was he?

Had those been… his emotions at that time?

"_The Sword of Heaven can revive the dead people only once…'_

"_Tenseiga's matured, just as you desired… Don't you find that fact satisfying?"_

The question now was, if he was he willing to sacrifice the lives of his followers, his only ever-present companions, in his all-conquering quest for power? The mishap with Rin had made him start to question his goals for the very first time after so long; he no longer was so sure what it was that he truly wanted.

To gain power; to prove himself.

But…

…_to what price?_

Somehow, somewhere along that path towards Hell, in his wild chase after the demon that had taken the boy and Rin, his unquenchable need to prove himself to his father and everybody else had stopped being so important anymore. Of the many he had met in his long endless lifetime, Rin had been among the very few people who had been at the ready to offer him their respect, love and trust, selflessly and with no reservations.

He had realized, at that very point, how he actually couldn't bear to loose them.

Not without a fight… more especially _not_ due to a complete act of blindness and stupidity on his part.

Never again.

Sesshoumaru clenched his fist around the handle of the Fang.

He wouldn't allow it…

"_It's only natural… Did you actually think that, just because you had Tenseiga, you had powers similar to a God's?"_

Never again… would he make such mistake.

Never again would he overestimate, or be dependant on the resurrecting powers of the Sacred Sword.

He would still pursue his goals, but never again would he commit the unforgivable of putting Rin, or Jaken, at risk.

"_The jewel shard on your back is what sustains your life, isn't it, taijiya? Know that once it's removed, you can't be saved by the Tenseiga, either" _

This was what his mother had told the boy, Kohaku, just as they'd been leaving the palace… Once the fragment of the jewel was taken from his body, he would die, and ―not that he'd been counting on it― not even the holy fang would be able to save him from that outcome… The taijiya's sister, that demon slayer by the name of Sango, would just have to learn to accept her brother's fate ―he reasoned.

Not that it was any of his business; however. He was only protecting the boy for his own reasons.

Fear and loneliness…

Suddenly, he felt an odd pang in his chest. It was so foreign, that it took him a considerable while to recognize what it was.

_Fear and loneliness… of loosing a loved one._

Rin.

Kohaku.

Rin… _his_ loved one.

…Kohaku… that human girl's younger brother.

…Would she– feel the same way he'd been feeling… at that time, when he thought that he had lost Rin?

Fear and loneliness… of loosing a loved one…

…Was _this_ what all people felt when at the risk of loosing someone they cared for? …This raw, cold and empty feeling of heaviness?

Sesshoumaru had never wanted to cry so much before. Not even when his own father had died.

…He had been too resentful, powerless and angry at the time to actually pay attention to anything else that he was feeling. To take into account that he'd actually lost something much more important than a mere role-model, than the single chance to prove his worth to those around him… and to finally gain his father's high regard and admiration.

"Father…" Sesshoumaru sounded with deject.

But wars, duties, politics, status and pride and humans and expectations… they all always had come first.

Around his Father, even long before his half-brother, Inuyasha's birth, he'd always felt second best.

Second to everything.

Second to _everyone…_

…He'd become tired of ever being second.

That was why, one day, he'd just walked away.

Away… to try and follow his own path.

Away… to make a path for himself.

Away from his Father's shadow and away from his ever unfulfilled expectations.

"…If only that'd worked out" Sesshoumaru thought somewhat bitterly.

"Isn't it amusing, Father? No matter what I do, no matter what I'm thinking, it all comes back to you… always ends coming back to you…"

'_Even after all these years… I've still been unable to breakaway'_

…_How pathetic…_

Even after all these years, Sesshoumaru was still haunted by the omnipresent shadow of his Sire.

…So very pathetic.

And the man wasn't even alive now…

–Seshoumaru clenched his fists.–

Why _the hell_ hadn't he realized before?

It was useless now…

All of it.

All that he'd done… up to this time.

Useless.

Chasing after an impossible goal, his life had turned useless…

And by letting his life turn useless, he'd become useless himself.

_Oh, Father_

…Useless.

_Oh, Father…how cruel you've been _

He was useless.

He would never be able to show his father that he was worth it, and he knew it.

_Oh, Father,_

…_how cruel you've been _

…_All I ever wanted…_

He knew it.

Because his Father was dead.

**To Be Continued.**


	29. Shinto

_Disclaimer: No, for the twenty ninth time… I Do Not Own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha…if I did I might be even richer than the author of Harry Potter, but NO; Rumiko Takahashi owns Inuyasha (and the manga is SO MUCH MORE awesome than the anime, you guys… I highly recommend it!), whereas Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon… I asked Santa Claus if he could get me the ownership for Christmas, but he said that 'no can do'._

Chapter Twenty Eight.

'Shinto'

"Our religion, Shinto, involves the worship of the _Kami_… the gods. The most important duty in Shinto is to hold great love and reverence for Nature, Usagi… both towards the things that are living and the things which are not; for _Kami _are all around us and sometimes take the most unsuspected of forms: a waterfall, a rock, the moon or just an oddly shaped stone even, may in truth be the _Kami _hiding under a disguise… Abstract qualities like growth, fertility and production; natural phenomena like the wind, thunder, mountains, rivers, animals, the sun… and even ancestral spirits of our own bloodline, that have ascended and become one with Nature; they might be others too. The guardians spirits of the land, occupations, skills, souls of deceased Japanese heroes and of men of outstanding deeds or virtues, of those who have contributed to civilization, culture and human welfare… those who have died for others and for the community, and the pitiable dead; all of them are forms of _Kami _as well.

"As you can realize, not only spirits superior to, and among humans have been believed to have ascended to the higher form of _Kami_, but also spirits who are considered weak or pitiable have been considered as such in Shinto, with the purpose of honoring them with prayers and worship to help ease their suffering… This is something that also aids, sometimes, in preventing that they evolve into darker spirits…possibly even becoming an eventual threat to man kind… Common misfortunes like decease, violence, food scarcity and weather catastrophes might be partly caused, or just encouraged by these dark, disrupted spirits; that is why we need to help pacify them to assist in the restoration of the balance.

"That is why Nature is to be cherished and preserved at all times… One must always show the proper respect and thankfulness when sacrificing another being's life to prolong one's own existence; failure to show respect can be seen as a lack of concern for others, looked down on because it is believed to attract darkness, accumulate impurity and generally speaking, bring problems for everyone around, sometimes no matter who was the one truly at fault. Those who fail to take into account the feelings of other people and _Kami _will only bring ruin on themselves; the worst expression of such malicious attitude is the taking of someone else's life for personal advancement or enjoyment. Those killed without being shown gratitude for their sacrifice will hold a grudge, an _urami_, and become powerful and evil _Kami_ seeking revenge… some of these are _youkai_ and the _aragami_.

"Proper observation of the prayers and rituals of Shinto is partly to avoid the birth of even more _aragami_.

"All beings that exist possess two sides, the side of Darkness and the side of Light. Spirits possess those sides too; this is why they usually have a good side and a bad side: one is their gentle side, the soul known as _nigi-mitama_, and the other one, the aggressive side is the soul known as _ara-mitama_. A deity will behave differently according to which soul is in control at a given time…

"Though Shinto has no absolute commandments outside of living _a simple and harmonious life with nature and people_, there are Four Primal Affirmations of the Shinto Spirit, which are…― Do you know which they are, Usagi?"

Silence.

"…_Usagi?_"

The priestess Kaede snapped out at last of her eternal monologue to look at her student with curiosity…

…A student who had by the sight of it, already fallen asleep with an arm propped up; the open palm of her hand supporting her head as she snored very quietly.

Kaede's temper flared.

Her started eye twitching madly as a vein pulsed on the top of her forehead dangerously.

'_Has she been sleeping the entire time I was talking?!' _

Taking a hold of her bamboo broom, she approached the student silently, raised the broom up in the air and then brought it down in a swift, hitting the inconsiderate girl on the head so harshly, that it immediately brought her crashing down back to the world of the living.

"_ITAI!!!_" The blonde squealed loudly as the impact of the blow made her fall to the floor face first. "_You're SO MEAN, Kaede-Baba!!!_" she began once she realized what had happened.

"USAGI!!!" unimpressed, the aged priestess said murderously "How many times has this been going on? I've told you _many _times not to fall asleep while I'm explaining the basics of Shinto! How do you except to _ever_ become a proper miko if you don't pay attention to anything I say?!"

"_WAAAAAAA!!!!! But you need not to hit me so HARD!!!!_" the wailing blonde continued, spurts of water pouring out of her eyes like waterfalls.

Kaede merely shook her head in resignation, sighing rather 'unpriestess-like' as she did so. She could already feel the beginnings of an impending head ache taking place.

'_And I thought this girl could be a disguised Kami?'_ she mused to herself _'I must have been insane…'_ As the blonde continued with her immature bawling, not for the first time since the blonde's arrival, she thought she had her hands full with this new apprentice.

"By the name of the Kami, child…" she said with her fingers creasing her forehead, her tone almost pleading "cease with that awful sound if you please"

At this Usagi immediately shut up.

…Kaede sighed one more time, in relief.

"That's so much better; thank you…" she tried to compose herself "Now, where were we? Ah, yes… The Four Primal Affirmations of Shinto… Usagi, do you remember what they are?"

"Um" the blonde gulped, scratching her head as she tried to recall "Um…Family tradition, Love of Nature, Physical cleanliness… and the rites of _Matsuri_?"

The priestess' eyes got wide as saucers. "…Yes! That' right! …That is absolutely_ right_!" she almost wanted to cry at the fact that her student had actually remembered something.

"Hehe, see Kaede-baba? That's why I fall asleep in your lectures: it helps me remember more easily!" the youth giggled sheepishly, making the old woman groan.

When her 'teacher' kept silent, Usagi grew somewhat worried.

She approached the elder, putting a hand on her shoulder worriedly. "You… Are you mad at me, Kaede-baba?... I- I –I'm sorry I fell asleep in your lecture earlier" she offered with guilt "I promise I'll try harder from now on, I swear! I'll learn everything you want to teach me" she bit her lip "…please… _don't give up on me?_" she smiled a little sad.

Shifting to look into the more inexperienced girl's eyes, the old woman smiled back.

"That's alright, child; you don't need to worry… I was only thinking"

Curious, the youth tilted her head to the side.

"About what?"

"Many things…" the priestess' gaze once more turned towards the horizon ina pensive manner "You remind me a lot of myself when I was younger; did you know that?"

"No"

The priestess gave a melancholy smile. "You do… I used to be like you are now, so free and careless; my sister would always have to reprimand me so I wouldn't forget my chores and duties… In a way, I think I envy you, child… You have your whole life before you… You've yet so very much to learn"

"Kaede-baba…"Usagi said in a whisper; she'd already learned the story of her teacher's older sister.

_Kikyo…_

What a tragic past to overcome. Usagi really felt sorry for the priestess.

'_Nobody should have to suffer that way'_ she thought to herself. _'I'm sorry, Kaede-baba, I didn't mean to remind you of such sad things'_

"That's life, I guess" the wizened elder continued "That is why you have to concentrate on your learning, Usagi, child… This youth that you now possess, this freedom which you now cherish… they won't last forever… Duties come, along with adulthood, and one must learn to adapt. Do you understand… what I'm trying to say?"

Usagi closed her eyes.

"Yes" Truth was, she thought she knew _exactly _what the older woman was hinting, with an odd sense of déjà vu.

…She just didn't know why.

_Not yet_

"Duties come… and life changes" Kaede proceeded "Doesn't grow uglier or more beautiful, it just… changes. You will change too, my child… I sense that change already happening. Even when you aren't aware of it, even though it's slow and isn't obvious, I can feel that change happening under the surface. Usagi…" she turned to stare at her sharply "many troubles and difficult decisions await you; I can feel as much…. Do you want to be ready for what is to come?"

Serious, the girl nodded.

She had felt it too.

"Then you mustn't hesitate in your training. Something, inside you, is waiting to awaken; my senses tell me so. The key to that awakening is through your learning of the ways of the Light, and the only path I can offer you for that learning is by teaching you the in single ways I know; the ways of priesthood… I realize now, that probably might not be what you want"

Usagi turned to her fast.

"Kaede-sama?!"

Once again, Kaede offered a reassuring smile.

"There's no need to pretend, child… I already know you do not wish to become a priestess; no… If you did, you wouldn't find learning this so difficult. But your path lies somewhere else, of that I'm certain… You just haven't discovered it yet"

"Kaede-sama"

The old lady shook her head.

"It's all well, child… You'll soon realize what t is that you're looking for, I just know it; I am not as old as you can see in vain, I can tell about these things. Anyway, what I wanted to say is, Usagi… I know you're getting impatient, and think it is time I start to train you on the more practical uses of our Faith: the powers of purity… This means I'll teach you to develop your spiritual powers, which I know now lie dormant"

At these words, Usagi fidgeted with excitement. Finally, after days of just listening in to the theories… she would finally be allowed to give it a try to put them into action?

…_Wonderful!_

"So you think I'm ready, at last?" she asked with disbelief "Oh, Kaede-sama! You won't regret this!" she said hooking her arms around the older woman, who seemed started for a second, but then smiled. "I promise I will do my best!"

"Heh, I know you'll do your best… Cause I'll feed you to the pigs, child, if you don't!" the priestess said laughing in a warning, and getting her intent, Usagi laughed too.

With those words, both women turned around to walk back towards the shrine. Kaede only paused to add one more time.

"You should get some rest now, child; your real training begins tomorrow"

**To Be Continued.**


	30. Sickness

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything, neither Inuyasha, nor Sailor Moon._

Chapter Twenty Nine.

'Sickness'

It was late in the afternoon the following day, and the young woman had currently taken to walk around the fields, thankful that her tutor priestess had decided a bit earlier to end their session of training for that day, so her apprentice could have a tidbit of free time for herself.

As she walked, the young girl considered the most recent developments.

Almost a week had passed since her arrival at the village, and Usagi could no longer understand what she'd been so afraid about, that time days before, when the detachments Kanna and Byakuya had seen her off at the outskirts of the very human settlement in which she currently resided.

In other words, yes; she'd been very afraid, at the beginning, that these people might harbor great hatred for youkai, and that terrible comments on them would be the single thing she'd be hearing day and day out during her entire stay; or even afraid of the reprisal they might take if... _when_ they found out she _consorted_ with the enemy.

But either of them had hardly been the case once she was definitely installed amongst them.

Which meant, yes; the inhabitants of the village _were _frightened of youkai, but only of some of them, the type that seemed to take pleasure in attacking their homes and putting their farmlands and their very lives in danger. They did acknowledge the simple truth that not all demons were like this, though, which brought a great sense of relief upon Usagi…; it gave her hope that, if she could ever manage to convince some of them that her _own _youkai friends weren't as violent, perhaps they might be allowed to visit her with no need for hiding, from time to time.

Speaking of visits, she was a little worried because she yet had to hear anything from Tsumi or Aku… Up till now, the only ones that had deigned to come around and check up on her were the same two incarnations that had escorted her to the place days prior: Byakuya and Kanna… _not_ the people Usagi would exactly have preferred that drop by.

For starters, the only 'skin or hair' she'd seen of Byakuya had been that… that… _ugh! _…That disgusting extractable eyeball of his with the creepy bat wings... She'd seen it come over by floating several times to hover above her and Kaede-Baba's heads while they were busy talking… or should she say, while Kaede-Baba was talking and _she_ was busy listening… Either way, it'd been a miracle how the aged priestess had yet to spot the flying organ, an organ which seemed to purposely choose the riskiest of places to show up just to incommode her; at the same time making the blonde terribly nervous that someone might catch sight of this and inform the priestess that they were being spied on.

'_That moron Byaka…' _the blonde grumbled to herself, refusing to call him by his real name out of spite this time around.

In spite of everything, one thing the youth had to admit was that she'd gotten what she wanted: to meet new people and make new friends. Out off all the new people she'd met, however, one had to reckon Kaede-sama had been the one who'd acted the nicest; taking her in, agreeing to give her miko training, modifying that training later on to better accommodate to the blonde's wishes, sharing her food and clothes with her apprentice, and being quite patient and tolerant as she'd been, all despite that fact of which Usagi was already well aware about herself: the one that she could often be so…, well, …_annoying_.

_Okay… so one of the reasons she'd been privately afraid to take a step into the village was that Niraya-sama and the others might be the only ones in the entire universe who had the capacity for putting up with her constant whining… _She was quite happy that she'd been apparently wrong.

'_Note to self: never underestimate the humans' stamina and resistance for variable forms of audible torture' _she thought with a dummy playful grin.

_Now_, the blonde speculated with a finger to her chin, if she could only get to talk to Niraya-sama and tell him that the humans of this particular village weren't as bad as he thought… she was sure things would improve greatly. The longer she stayed with these people, the more she became convinced that it'd been all probably nothing more than a little misunderstanding…

"Togebuki-san..? …Togebuki-san! Come play with us!!" suddenly Usagi heard an infant's joyful voice calling after that familiar name from behind her, making her snap out from her mental reverie.

…This was the name of a pretty yellow colored flower in Japan… the children of the village had come to call her that because of her bright golden hair, which reminded them of the full bloom _Togebuki_.

"…Togebuki-san?" she heard again as she was turning around. Usagi's eyes lightened up when they settled on the young little raven haired boy that had called her… another one of her newly made friends.

"Ryuji-chan!" she greeted as she smiled indulgently "what are you guys doing?" she asked as she bent to his level, gesturing to the rest of the kids with him in the meadow.

The children all giggled and laughed as they beckoned her forward. To them, she was already like another playmate, or perhaps a chummy big sister … they felt as if they'd known her all their lives… and so did Usagi feel about them; she simply adored the group of cute little children.

"We're playing 'Make-the-bird-come-out-of-the-basket'! It's a game shown to us by Kagome-sama!" they said with excitement "She says every kid plays it in her homeland… Usagi-sama, do you want to play?"

"Is that so?" Usagi said intrigued, having heard quite frequently of this Kagome person "What's it about?"

"Here, come with me… I'll show you!" a brown haired little girl by the name of Yumi took her by the hand; pulling her towards the other children who surrounded the two of them eagerly "One of us is chosen to be the _oni_ and sits blindfolded while the others join hands, walking around him in circles and chanting the song… When the song stops, the _oni_, the ogre, speaks aloud the name of the person behind him, and if he is right, that person will exchange places with the _oni_… and then we start the game all over again"

"You can be the _oni _first, Togebuki-san! Would you like to be the _oni_?" another of the children, a girl named Saki asked her.

Not wishing to spoil the child's enthusiasm, the blonde accepted. "Um… okay! Where do I have to sit?"

"Right there, in the middle!"

Usagi did as she was told, sitting down and allowing one of the kids to cover her eyes with a piece of cloth… now only their voices were distinguishable.

Soon enough, she heard them commence with the singing.

"_Kagome… Kagome… Kago no naka ni Tori wa… Itsu Itsu deyaru? Yoake no ban ni… Tsuru to Kame ga subetta… Ushiro no shoumen dare?..." _

'_Mhm… It's kind of a pretty song' _the blonde thought in silence.

"Who's behind you now, Togebuki-san?" she heard one of the girls ask. Usagi laughed secretly through her grinning lips.

_This is so easy_

"Oh, I don't know… Seeing that the voice that just spoke came from right behind me… I think… I think… It was…. YUMI!!" the blonde shouted as she turned around in a flash to grab the scurrying little girl in her arms and begin tickling her tummy madly "You shouldn't have talked!"

"Ahh ahahaha!!! Stop! Stop please, that tickles, Usagi-sama!" the child, Yumi, could't stop giggling as she thrashed to both sides and struggled trying to get out of her older capturer's embrace.

"It's _supposed_ to tickle!" the blonde said evilly, also with a playful smirk. She was just having too much fun; till she recalled something else.

…The laughter of another child. Usagi made a pause.

'_I wonder… I wonder how Lord Sesshoumaru and little Rin are…'_ she pondered a bit sadly.

"Usagi-sama, are you alright?"

"Huh?" she shifted to look up at the girl who had questioned her "Oh, yes I'm fine, Saki" she smiled. "Just remembering something…"

'_I'm turning into Kaede-Baba'_ she noted with some dismay _'Does this mean I am really getting old?'_ she shook her head adamantly in the next instant _'…What a silly idea…'_

She turned to look at the one in her arms "So… does this mean you're the new _oni_, Yumi-chan? …Oh! What a pretty _oni_! What an _adorable_ little _oni_!" she chirped as she tickled her some more. _It was simply addicting. _Usagi wondered if it'd be the same when she had her own children…

Unexpectedly, an incredibly painful pang clutched at her chest. Totally out of the blue, Usagi felt as if they'd just punched the breath out of her. _'Why am I suddenly feeling this way?!' _

"Usagi-sama?"

But the teen couldn't come out of her state yet. Her head had begun to hurt.

_A vision of big reddish brown eyes and pinkish soft hair flashed before her mind's eye. _

_A childlike voice shouting something echoed in the distance… _

…"_Usagi no Baka!!!"…_

Gasp…Who?!—

_These feelting images… again?!_

"Itai!" the blonde clutched her head, jumping as a particularly nasty strike of pain rendered her temporarily frozen, doubling over and curling slightly into a protective ball afterwards.

"_Usagi-sama?!_" the kids repeated this time growing frantic, and Usagi raised her arm in a pacifying manner to help calm them.

"Are you sick?!"

"I'm okay, it's alright… just one of my usual headaches" she fought a wave of nausea as she rubbed circles on her sweat-covered forehead.

"Uh? Do you have these headaches all the time?" one of the kids asked curiously with his head tilted to the side.

"Very often; yes…" the blonde nodded with a tired smile, getting straight back up slowly "but it's nothing to worry about"

The kids didn't buy it, though. She was suddenly looking very pale.

"But, Usagi-sama… if you have those headaches very often, it could be a dark spirit that's intruded inside your head's doing! We should tell Kaede-sama, she would surely know a way to expel it!"

"I'm gonna go call Kaede-sama!" Ryuji exclaimed as he prepared to go.

"No!" the older youth raised a hand to stop him "I'm fine, really… Just give me a couple of minutes and it'll pass… it always does. Can we… can we return to the game?" she solicited weakly.

The village children didn't look very convinced for a second, their faces darkened with worry, but one look into her pleading eyes quickly made each one of them give in, and they nodded.

A hesitant Yumi took her rightful place in the middle of their small crowd, and the children gradually began circling and chanting their song again.

"_Kagome… Kagome… the bird in the cage, when will you come out? In the evening of the dawn, the crane and turtle slipped. Who stands right behind you now?" _

**To Be Continued.**


	31. Memories

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha… I am not Japanese._

**Note: Just in case someone didn't know this, the game the children were playing in the previous chapter, "The Bird in the Basket" is a very popular, traditional game in Japan, and it DOES involve the children singing 'Kagome' in their song… It was from this song from which apparently Rumiko Takahashi took the leading girl in Inuyasha, Higurashi Kagome's given name… So I thought it'd be an interesting twist to state it'd been Kagome _herself _who had first taught to some Japanese children of this game, during one of her many stays in the Feudal Sengoku Period…**

On with the fic!

Chapter Thirty.

'Memories

It was several days later that the teen finally decided to address the issue with her teacher.

"Visions… you say?"

"Yes, I just— I just keep having them. I wasn't going to say anything about them, I thought it wasn't anything serious… but now I'm not so sure"

"And you want to know if I can tell you what they are" the seated priestess finished seriously, staring at her in deep search.

"Uh huh" the blonde nodded her head, not knowing what else to say.

"This… headache that you mention, it always happens the same way?"

"More or less"

"Um… Usagi" Kaede started then "those visions that you see… what are they like?"

"They're like, flashes… images that fleet before my eyes in mere seconds… sounds, faces, people, objects… places I don't recall ever having been to. I never know what, or who they are… All these hallucinations, Kaede-sama, _it's just horrible!_" the blonde girl suddenly cried, giving into her despair "Am I… could I be coming crazy?"

"I don't think you are" the older woman tried to reassure her "you already said you bumped your head so you don't remember anything of your past; your family, your home, where you were born… you said that if those acquaintances of your father hadn't told you what it was, you wouldn't recall your own name, am I right?"

"Er… yes" the blushing blonde said nervously, trying to pay heed to Kanna's advice and not wanting to let slip anything that she shouldn't about who those _acquaintances_ were; she really didn't want to bring anymore problems to Niraya-sama. "yes… that is, that is what I said"

At her sudden nervous tone Kaede frowned in slight suspicion, but then immediately shrugged it off: she truly ignored the particularities of the youth's relationship with those people… perhaps they weren't in much good terms after all.

"What I'm trying to say here, child… is that those visions that you say you have so often, well, they could be, in truth, memories"

"Me- _memories?!_"

"Of your previous life before that accident… of that past that you don't remember. This has never occurred to you before, has it?"

"N-No…not really…" the blonde couldn't explain why she so out of the blue felt so growingly apprehensive… like the old priestess had hit the nail on the head, and something deeply within didn't want her to dwell on it any longer… like she was about to uncover _a big dark secret_…

'_But that is ridiculous' _she tried to reason with herself _'why would anyone **not** wish to know where they come from?!' _

Indeed. What could she have done that was so terrible, in her past, for something very deep inside to so desperately want for her to remain unaware of everything about it?

It just didn't make any sense to her...

She wondered if it someday would.

"Do you find this troubling, child?"

"I- I ah… I don't know what to say" the girl lifted her shoulders and swayed her palms open in a frankly clueless, frustrated gesture "I don't even know where to begin… I mean, I do want to find out more about my past… I mean, _who wouldn't? _But –but at the same time, something tells me that I shouldn't. I don't know why I'm feeling like this" she shook her head in defeat and took a deep breath, raising her head to look at the priestess fearfully "…Do you think I did something very horrible in my past, Kaede-sama, and that is the reason I might not feel like uncovering it?" she finally voiced her fears aloud.

"I find it hard to believe that someone like you might have had a dark past, though I pray that it is not the case" the wizened woman said in all seriousness "Have your visions up to this time, any of them given you that idea?" she inquired with great interest.

Once more the blonde shook her head.

"…No"

"Very well" the elder said again with relief "then I don't think we should be rushing to any fast conclusions just yet" she observed "for they could be thoroughly wrong, for all that we know …Do you feel any better now that you've told me?" she asked with concern.

"Hai, I do… Thanks a lot for listening, Kaede-Baba" she gave a genuine, heartfelt smile at the wise priestess "Ryuji was right when he suggested I talk to you"

"So it was the young one who convinced you" the old lady tusked "He worries about you, as do the rest of the children and many other people from the village. They've all become quite taken with you, my child"

Usagi's smile only grew brighter "I realize that now, and I can't even begin to tell you of how grateful I am for all of your kindness and hospitality… I'll never forget how nice everyone here has been with me"

"Does it mean… that you plan on leaving us, some time soon?" Kaede said with sincere disillusion; she as well had taken to look at the cheerful teen like a daughter she'd never had.

Usagi looked all crestfallen all of a sudden.

"I'm not certain still, but sooner or later, I think I will have to… I don't think I should stay here and continue to abuse of your patience when I don't have any real intentions of completing my miko training" she explained with regret "there's-- some people… who're waiting for me; besides, I don't wish to impose"

"Nonsense" the priestess denied stubbornly "who said anything about imposing? Though if you truly have people expecting you back… an important someone, perhaps?" she added with a sly tone.

The teen instantly felt her cheeks becoming crimson.

"Uh, I don't know… I mean, may be…"

_Was Niraya-sama really her own important, special person? She really couldn't tell for sure. Which meant, he 'was' very kind to her and always seemed to be looking out to her wellbeing… but did any this, just by itself, count for a special affection? She really didn't want to think much of it; being that what she knew was very little and completely lacked any experience she could recall, the whole subject of love affairs and couples had always made her feel confused and a bit squeamish._

However, what she felt was that she _could _label Niraya-sama as an important person up to the present… because even when it was on some unclear level, they both apparently cared greatly for each other.

And then there was Lord Sesshoumaru…

The blonde's eyes widened. _Eehhhh????!!!!_

'_Why did I think of 'him' like **that** just now?!_'

It was official now: she WAS becoming crazy…

* * *

Later that afternoon, the young girl and her teacher were sitting in another meadow outside the shrine as the elder woman showed her student how to bring forth her power of purity. 

"You must call to the essence inside you, Usagi, child" Kaede was admonishing one more time "no matter how many time you strain yourself and clench your teeth, if you don't call that essence forth, you won't be capable to do it"

"How… how do I call forth that essence, Kaede-sama?" the blonde asked with discipline, attempting to get a hold on her growing frustration.

"By calling to the most pure inner wishes and desires that you have" the aged lady explained "the need to protect someone you love, for example, or the simpler need to set things right. Try to imagine as if you were in that type of situation...it is circumstances like this which usually trigger the awakening of this kind of power. Remember, Usagi, not all people are gifted with this ability; this is why you must learn to appreciate it, and use it for the greater good, always. It's a great responsibility. Only the utmost evolved and elevated of human beings ever manage to make use of the hidden power in their souls… do not forget that"

"I'll try not to, Kaede-obaasan" (grandma Kaede) she had gotten used to call the old woman that from time to time… ever since she was welcome under her roof. From then on, living with the wise old lady had gradually come to feel kind of like living with family.

"Alright… now concentrate on it" the priestess chided.

"Um" the blonde attempted to sort out her thoughts, closing her eyes.

…_What kind of circumstances would set off her power? _

She bit her lower lip and tried to come up with one that'd seem like it.

"…_Usagi, the person I hurt; no, the people I hurt…are people who search for me, because they want to put my existence to an end…"_ Niraya-sama's words echoed inside her head first... and so did the thoughts she'd had then…

'_K-kill Niraya-sama? -NO! Why…who would want to?!'_

At her recollection of this, the blonde bit her lip till it bled. _She wouldn't let them_

Niraya-sama had been nothing but caring toward her… she couldn't allow it to happen. She suddenly felt her hands and forehead getting very warm.

_Kaede-Baba's village collapsing under a huge fire._

_The children homeless and orphaned… The crop fields destroyed._

Not only were her hands getting warmer now, but she saw they were also covered in a dim light. So she closed her eyes and immediately tried imagining something else, jumping at the chance to keep calling and awakening her power; getting the utmost inner energy in her soul to respond.

_Aku and Tsumi, already dead, under the toe of some unknown enemy_

…_Little Rin lying there, dying… on a pool of her own blood_

_--NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

Usagi once more shook her head, attempting to get a grip on herself as she took a big intake of breath. Picturing this kind of things just to put her own self on the strain, and stimulate her power into action, couldn't be healthy; so she attempted to put a stop to it.

…But the dreadful fantasies simply kept coming... more blurred and weirder than before...

_A silver haired woman, so very like herself, raising a moon-shaped scepter high in the air, with a shinning stone engraved on it, shouting an unintelligible incantation to vanquish the hundreds of menacing shadows around the entire place… forfeiting her own life…_

…_Two cats, one white and the other black, just standing there, helpless, with their eyes wide… just watching._

…_A chestnut haired teenage girl, with her hair in a ponytail, being constricted by dozens of vines wrapped tightly around her body, slowly suffocating her… as the she-demons around her looked on, and laughed…._

…_Another blonde haired girl like herself, with her brilliant mane tied in a red bow, throwing her out of the way as more vines shot from bellow the ground, raising her flailing form high up before quickly sinking back down, dragging the girl with the bow out of sight, underground, with them…._

_A blue haired young woman in what looked like a white swimsuit, screaming as some crystal shaped object was ripped from chest…then falling to the ground, unconscious…._

…_A pink haired little child, with a tender, regretful smile, crying silently as her body was fading…._

…_A proud brunette in a red pleated skirt, shielding her body with her own as flying yellow disks of energy impacted on them harshly. _

…_A charcoal-black haired, ocean-blue eyed older man, caressing her cheek fondly as his pulse slowly paused forever. _

There were tears falling from her eyes. Usagi raised a hand to touch them.

_They died for me…_

They had all died for her ―this time, the visions had told her as much―, and she couldn't even remember their names…

She felt like the worst person on the planet. Bringing a hand to her chest, she attempted to soothe her own racing heart.

She could feel herself already sweating profusely in her distraught confused state…

"Usagi, well done! You actually did it quite fine, alright! The light on your hands was your purifying power… there was also a strange shine on your forehead, there for a second, but it disappeared fast. Never mind; there's no doubt about it now: you truly possess the assets of a priestess! Even though you've chosen not to become one…" she noticed the blonde wasn't listening.

"Usagi…? What's on your mind?" she heard the priestess Kaede distantly begin to ask, as if she were doing it from a thousand kilometers afar, and that was when the blonde glanced at her at last.

"_Oh, Kaede-Baba!_ I think… I think I remembered something" she said, still in between shallow breaths.

"…Of your past?" the old priestess prompted, taken aback; a hint of surprised anticipation quite evident in her tone "What did you remember?"

"Friends… People that I think were my friends… risking their lives to protect me, and _dying_…" she finished with a strangled voice.

"Protect you from _what_?"

"I don't know...- I don't know… Oh, Kaede-obaasan, I don't get it; I just don't understand anything!!" not being able to hold it in anymore, she threw herself in the priestess' arms "What's going on Kaede-sama? What's going on _with me?!_ Who am I, where do I come from?! _Why can't I ever seem to find any answers to billions of questions like these in my mind?!_"

"Sh sh… Hush, Usagi… It's going to be okay" the mature lady soothed her with a hand on her soft yellow hair.

"You think so?" came the blonde's muffled reply.

"Yes. It's a very good thing that you've finally started to recover some of your memory... I bet the rest is soon to come ...Besides, you're no longer alone, child; you have many people of the village with you, and I'm positive that they'll be happy to support you, no matter what" the wizened woman said as she continued petting her head "we're nothing but peasants, but we'll sort this out, together…you'll see"

"I don't know how to thank you, what I'd do without you, Kaede-Baba!" the young girl embraced the priestess impulsively.

And yet another time Kaede smiled.

_Such a sweet, innocent child_

"…It's going to be alright…"

**To Be Continued.**


	32. Good bye

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, Umino, Naraku, Sesshoumaru, the planet, Seiya, Kikyo, the sky, Yaten, Myoga, Tuxedo Kamen, the air, Kagome, Sailor Venus, Naru, Miroku, Mamoru, Ginta, the baker's kitten, Sailor Mercury, Hakkaku, Queen Beryl, Harry Potter, Sango, Sailor Jupiter, Hiten, Luna, Heero, the Animamates, Maten, Sailor Mars, Shippo, Shakespeare, Sailor Pluto, Ranma, Artemis, Akane, Sailor Saturn, Kirara, Sailor Chibimoon, Kouga, Moon Tiara Magic, Naruto, Sailor Neptune, the clouds, Hakudoshi, the Moonlight Knight, Tamahome, Queen Serenity, Moryoumaru, Sailor Uranus, my neighbour's dog, the Negaverse, Motoki, Akago, the Amazon Trio, Kaede, the Amazoness Quartet, ChibiUsa, the Wicked Sisters, Ayame, Black Lady, Usagi, the Black Moon Family, the sea, Kanna, Rei, Byakuya, the Death Busters, Kurama, Ami, Sailor Galaxia, Rin, Minako, Totosai, Makoto, Kagura, Tetsusaiga, Haruka, Tenseiga, Queen Neherenia, Inu no Taisho, the sun, Michiru, Kohaku, Neo Queen Serenity, Eri, King Endymion, Yuka, Princess Kakyuu, Hojo, Taiki, Tsubaki, Princess Serenity, Wind Scar, Ayumi, Prince Endymion, Abi-hime, Sailor Cosmos, Yura, your boxers, Setsuna, Ail, Ann or Jaken… (poor Jaken always ends up for last)_

…_Did I forget anyone?_

_Oh, whatever. You get the idea._

On with the fic!

Chapter Thirty One.

'Good Bye'

"Very good, Usagi. It is obvious that you're slowly getting better… If this keeps up, you will become quite skilled in no time. Should Kikyo Onee-sama be alive, she would say you're a natural…" Kaede said with her arms crossed, giving her an approving nod as she watched her "apprentice" slowly begin to make growing use of her purity, aided with her arrows and bow.

At this particular stage of her learning, it didn't yet matter whether she managed to hit the target or not… ―which was good since the blonde's arrows seemed to lack any sense of direction whatsoever― what mattered most was that the arrows became imbibed with her powers… and so far so good.

The bow which Usagi was currently using was a much simpler, baser bow for practice, which was a lot less sturdy than the bows usually used in actual combat. Kaede had found out the hard way that her student didn't have the enough strength to properly handle one of those; at least not yet, because when she did, nothing but accidents were prone to happen… The route taken by Usagi's arrows, then, became totally unpredictable, ending in the most improper of places with an aim so capriciously embarrassing that the older priestess was sometimes tempted to think the bow had been bewitched by a mischievous, naughty spirit.

She would _never _forget that time one of the blonde's wayward arrows had accidentally gotten a male peasant in the backside as he was walking away… the utter mortification she'd felt as she apologized profusely to the rather speechless, red-faced man again and again, on behalf of her clumsy student, attempting to excuse her as he wordlessly turned their way. She remembered how afraid she'd been to remove the projectile for fear of causing more pain… and the complete aghast expression on his face as he realized what'd happened … It'd only made matters worse for Kaede when not long afterwards she realized that _she_, as the head priestess of the shrine, would be the one 'entrusted' (_stuck and screwed_) with the delicate job of the removal of the arrow and the treating of such awkward wound with the aid of her medicinal herbs… the application of which had too required the introduction of _her fingers _inside the patient's er…_private __place_, 'ahem'… ―a fact that'd quite chagrined both the poor, very unfortunate adult male and herself; for most obvious reasons―

Needless to say, from that day on the people of the village, the men specially, had taken to avoid that area near the forest that they knew she had reserved explicitly for the training of Togebuki _'Danger Aim' _Usagi, as she'd been nicknamed since then…

Taking her mind off those uncomfortable memories, Kaede's shoulders slumped, feeling her lips giving into an involuntary grimace.

…Despite that as a consequence of the last happenings, she seriously doubted now whether she'd be ever able to turn her student into an average good archer, and _even_ if it killed her… she'd already vowed firmly to herself that the girl wouldn't leave this village without at least having learned the way to present all supernatural evils around with a difficult encounter…

* * *

**Somewhere else, in a darkened room, another subject's private thoughts were set on the very same person as the thoughts of the grey haired priestess were…**

"_**My Angel… I miss you…" **_

**He missed her so damn much.**

**--Flashback—**

'**_Such a frail creature' the long haired hanyou thought as he inspected the unconscious female he'd just brought into his lair not long ago '… is the one that houses this incredible amount of power?'_**

**_He carefully placed the naked form on a futon by the door, taking the time to slowly disengage his fingers from the tangled mass of golden tresses…_**

…_**So soft…**_

_**Half lidded eyes focused on pink rosy lips, and it was at that moment, that she opened her eyes.**_

_**Sapphire blue clashed with ruby red.**_

"**_W-Where am I..?"_**

**_Before giving him the opportunity to respond though, she frowned at herself._**

"…**_Who am I?" she asked of him then in a pleading voice; the unexpected question made him pause, crimson orbs widening in realization._**

**_At the trusting look he saw within her eyes, he felt the beginnings of something unknown inside him start to stir _**

"…**_You're… safe…" _**

**--End flashback—**

"**Usagi…" Naraku whispered with a slow veiled breath. **

**He almost felt stupid for having sent her away now…The truth was, in a way, it'd completely taken him by surprise; he hadn't known her absence would affect him so greatly…**

_**It was torture.**_

"**Show her to me" once more he found himself giving this particular order to Kanna; the Void child immediately raised her small mirror to comply with his wishes.**

"**The priestess… is teaching her to use her power" the albino girl whispered "she's already started the path towards her awakening"**

**Even though she'd continued talking, she knew the Master was only half listening as he slithered closer to the image, his red eyes fixated on the blonde's figure very intently, as if wanting to drink her in… and snickering mildly at her many antics.**

**Then the Hanyou Lord raised a hand to touch the golden-haired reflection with some hard-restrained emotion.**

'**_Hurry up, Butterfly… I need… to see you… I want you back…'_**

* * *

_Unknown to the Dark Hanyou, bi-colored crimson and purple eyes had been spying on the entire scene from outside through the slightly ajar door with undisguised, uncontrollable fury…_

_In her anger, one female detachment could feel the chilling grip of her jealousy boiling through her veins…hotter than molten lava._

_She hated that girl so damn much… _

_Even though she'd been looking forward to putting her little scheme into action, she still hadn't found the most appropriate moment yet… not with her Master watching over the wretched girl day in and day out… _

_Tsumi knew she was growing restless. _

_If she didn't manage to control herself, she would eventually snap._

'_Why her, by the demons; why… Why her and not me?!' she thought with utter misery and heartbreak, watching the fall of her outraged tears._

_She angrily wiped them away…_

'_I would have given him everything'_

_But she wouldn't be defeated. Not yet… ―Tsumi tightened her fists. She wouldn't give up… she couldn't._

…_She wouldn't let that wretched human girl defeat her! She'd send her to the deepest pits of Hell before allowing for that to happen. _

"_I will kill her with my own bare hands if I have to!!"_

"…_Then you're more foolish than I thought" a haughty voice answered unexpectedly from behind her. _

_The female incarnation swiftly shifted around._

_When she spotted the one who'd spoken, she scowled._

"_You… the eternal eavesdropper, I should have guessed" she snorted with unrepressed disdain "Stay out of it, this doesn't concern you…Byakuya" _

"_Really? Because I find it all to be very interesting" he toyed with her unscrupulously "what do you think Naraku-sama might do… if he happened to catch rumor that you're planning the assassination of his precious 'Butterfly'…?" the male detachment stressed the last word quite intentionally, grinning._

_She wouldn't be intimidated, though. "Then that'd give me a good reason to cut your head off… wouldn't it?"_

_Her fellow incarnation laughed well humouredly at that. _

"_Oh, but there is no need to be so violent, my darling" quicker than lightning, he grabbed her harshly by the wrists and pushed her against the wall, boxing her in. _

_Satisfied to see her trapped, he grinned down at her smugly as he openly leered at her body, black bottomless eyes running all over in an appreciative manner while he smiled. _

"_I don't see why we couldn't work this out between ourselves" he told her meaningfully._

"_Go to Hell" she answered as she attempted to push him off her. _

"_Tsk tsk tsk… such temper" he reprimanded, easily pushing her back down "when I was nothing but agreeable… offering to keep your dirty little secret and acting all nice to you…" he shook his head at her in mock lecture._

"_What the hell do you want" she asked with already lost patience, through her greeted teeth._

"_Isn't it obvious?" he said mildly surprised._

"_I don't set for second best" she told him acidly in an equally scalding tone "you should know that already. I've proved it to you many times"_

"_But I didn't have something to blackmail you with back then at all those previous times, did I?" he smirked in amusement, leaning in to lick her lips, taking joy in her discomfort as she struggled against him._

"_Are you threatening me?"_

"_Only if you want to see it that way…darling… Think about it; you know where to find me…" _

_With those words, he gave her chin one last lick before finally removing himself from her, letting her go._

_Then he left the lavender haired detachment all alone with her thoughts in the solitary hall._

"_I told you… I don't set for seconds…" she heard herself whispering to no one._

_May be…not fooling anyone either._

_However, she'd still made up her mind._

_So…_

"_This isn't over yet… 'Golden girl'…" her roughed up voice grunted._

* * *

Back in the meadow by the village; "We're done for the day, Usagi" the withered woman told her, and Usagi couldn't have been happier. 

Which was partly due to her current state of tiredness, and partly due to the a flickering shaft of reflecting light, the sight of which she'd caught minutes earlier, emitting a familiar signal.

'_Kanna's mirror'_ she knew the incarnation wanted to speak to her.

It could be important.

"Kaede-Baba, if you're going back to the village, I hope you don't mind that I stay for a while here to take a stroll around the forest? I just need a bit of fresh air… I promise I won't go far"

Deeming her prepared enough for the moment, the woman assented.

"Make sure you come back safely, child" she started the long walk back towards her hut.

Once she was gone, the blonde turned to stare at the dense grove before her resolutely.

'_I'm coming, Kanna…'_

_

* * *

_

Minutes later, not far from there, in a nearby clearing, the golden haired girl found the one she was seeking.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes" the void child nodded "I carry another message from Lord Niraya"

"Oh?" the girl blinked "what did he say?"

"He wants you to be back in a week or so" the small detachment told her evenly "He wants you to quicken your learning as much as possible so you can return"

"Oh… I see…" now that the issue had finally been mentioned, the blonde wasn't sure she wanted to so readily live the village anymore, and leave all the wonderful new people she had met… but she also didn't want to be away from her 'former' loved ones.

She felt torn.

"There's something I also wanted to tell you… I came to say Good-bye, Usagi-san"

Usagi's head snapped up.

"Huh? What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?"

The incarnation assented.

"The Master's sent me on a special mission regarding his enemies, and I know this time…I won't come back alive…" she said with no emotion.

"W-What? What are you saying, Kanna?!"

"…This will be the last time we see each other"

"_NANI?!_"

"I just wanted to say good bye…"

"B- B – but!!–"

"I'm glad I met you, Usagi-san… I will tell my sister, Kagura, about you, when we are reunited" not saying anything more, the void incarnation turned to walk away from her.

"…WAIT, KANNA!" the shocked blonde ran after the white haired Void child, who slowly turned around _"…WHY…?!_"

She didn't know what she was asking; there were so many different questions…

_Why does this have to happen now?! _

…_Do you even have to go there… do you really have to die?_

_Why do you have to die?!_

…_And why did you choose… to tell 'me'…?_

As if reading her thoughts, the void child rewarded her, before definitely departing from there, with an answer that left the young girl completely frozen in place, since t was one which she would never have expected to hear from the supposedly emotionless being in a thousand years.

"…_**Because I thought you'd be the only one... who would care…"**_

**To Be Continued.**


	33. Regret

_Disclaimer: I'm not Takeuchi Naoko, and I'm not Takahashi Rumiko either. They're the owners of Sailor Moon and Inuyasha, not me. _

Chapter Thirty Two.

'Regret'

_A silver haired woman, so very like herself, raising a moon-shaped scepter high in the air, with a shinning stone engraved on it, shouting an unintelligible incantation to vanquish the hundreds of menacing shadows around the entire place… forfeiting her own life…_

…_Two cats, one white and the other black, just standing there, helpless, with their eyes wide… just watching._

…_A chestnut haired teenage girl, with her hair in a ponytail, being constricted by dozens of vines wrapped tightly around her body, slowly suffocating her… as the she-demons around her looked on, and laughed…._

…_Another blonde haired girl like herself, with her brilliant mane tied in a red bow, throwing her out of the way as more vines shot from bellow the ground, raising her flailing form high up before quickly sinking back down, dragging the girl with the bow out of sight, underground, with them…._

_A blue haired young woman in what looked like a white swimsuit, screaming as some crystal shaped object was ripped from chest…then falling to the ground, unconscious…._

…_A pink haired little child, with a tender, regretful smile, crying silently as her body was fading…._

…_A proud brunette in a red pleated skirt, shielding her body with her own as flying yellow disks of energy impacted on them harshly. _

…_A charcoal-black haired, ocean-blue eyed older man, caressing her cheek fondly as his pulse slowly paused forever. _

_**They died for me…**_

Even when she didn't remember their names, she knew the faces belonged to people who had died for her.

She hadn't been able to prevent their deaths.

The unnecessary killing.

She didn't know why she knew, but she knew, somehow, that it'd been her fault.

The mere thought of it had been so unsettling…

And now, someone close to her was going to die as well.

_**If something happens to Kanna, I will never forgive myself**_

"Kanna, wait! Wait, don't go!" she fell down to the grass, only to quickly rush to rise back up on her feet again "…Tell me why… I want to understand! You're saying that you're not coming back, that you're going to die… Don't leave me like this, Kanna, _please_!" the blonde girl cried out as she ran through the forest in the same direction that she'd seen the white haired incarnation take only minutes before.

… _How had she so unexpectedly gotten so fast?! _

The Kanna that Usagi remembered wasn't at all agile: she usually would require the assistance of Byakuya's _origami _paper plane, or any other detachment's help, to be able to travel across large distances, for she was naturally calm and quiet and had never counted with speed as one of her demonic abilities…

But now, completely out of the blue, the albino void child had just pulled a disappearing act on her, vanishing in a flash of light which the blonde had then seen shoot towards the West.

The West.

…Was there the place where Kanna would supposedly be fulfilling the mission which she'd been talking about, regarding Niraya-sama's enemies? But then that could mean…―

…_Could_ it mean she was going to actually go and _meet up_ with the enemies someplace in the West?

…_Was this encounter the very event which she'd thought she wasn't going to survive? _

Millions of thoughts like these were swirling in her head, making her dizzy.

'_I can't… I can't stay in the village and not do anything! Not when, not when…she told me of her real feelings!'_

…"**_Because I thought you'd be the only one…who would care…"_**

All this time…

'_All this time… she had feelings… and I didn't realize it?'_

Usagi was feeling so filled with guilt and regret now. She kept running across the forest, arms stretched forward to move the thick greenery out of her way, thorns of bushes and thin low brunches cutting her skin, bruising her, but she just kept running; she didn't care.

Because she _had_ to catch up; she _had_ to find her… _she just had to._

"There's got to be something I can do to help!" …she just couldn't sit there and allow her to get her killed!

Not after… all this time… of being…

--Flashback--

"_Are you insane?! Get that thing away from me!! " the blonde yelled in fright, looking at the jelly, bloodied and moving eyeball on his hand in horror, and jumping to hide behind an unperturbed Kanna. "It's gross!!! I told you not to do that in front of me!!" _

"_Oh, but detaching organs from one's body, as you call it, is so much fun!" he loved making her squirm like this: it was the perfect cure for boredom…_

"_I'll tell Niraya-sama… you are crazy!" the girl cried as she crouched down, covering her head with her arms as she continued to hide behind the void incarnation. She could still hear the subtracted eye's sprouted bat wings flapping about as the other detachment roared with laughter. _

"_That's it, Byakuya" the void child finally intervened with an indifferent whisper "Put that thing back in so we can get back to what we were doing"_

--End Flashback--

…blind…

_Had Kanna actually… been trying to defend me… that time?'_

'_Why… why would she do it? Does it mean… that she was **taking my side?**'_

Gasp.

'_But that could only mean--?!'_

So terribly, unforgivably blind…

That Usagi almost couldn't believe it.

'_All this time… I had thought she was indifferent to everyone and everything… when she was actually a being capable of emotions, who could feel joy, and suffering, and feel for others… …and she never told anyone…' _

'…_I wasn't open enough to see… …what was right there before me…'_

'_I am… ashamed of myself'_

"Usagi, YOU_ DUMMY!"_ she berated herself again. She would punch her own face if she could, but she had more important matters to take care of right now.

…Like finding Kanna.

Before it was too late.

**To Be Continued.**


	34. Serenity

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, the characters of both show and the basic background or storyline behind each. _

Chapter Thirty Three.

'Serenity'

_The third detachment of Naraku's name had been Goshinki. He was a large horned oni who resembled a mix of an ogre and a dinosaur with the ability to read minds. He was extremely agile, very powerful, and had teeth so strong that they ultimately broke the half-breed Inuyasha's sword, Tetsusaiga, which had ended being his own undoing. _

_Goshinki's task was to slaughter an entire village to lure the badly wounded Inuyasha there. Using his ability to read minds, he had countered the hanyou's every attack, eventually seizing the Tetsusaiga in his fangs and shattering it into pieces. Though near death, the absence of the Tetsusaiga allowed Inuyasha's demon blood to take over, rendering Goshinki unable to read Inuyasha's mind anymore. Goshinki had then easily been killed by the hanyou not long afterwards._

_Juromaru and Kageromaru were the twin detachments born of Naraku after Kanna, Kagura and Goshinki. This made them the fourth detachments to have ever been spawned. Juromaru wore chains and a metal mask at first, meant to restrain his murderous nature and contain Kageromaru, who'd resided in Juromaru's stomach till the fight with the inu-hanyou, in which Juromaru released him. Whereas Juromaru had had little to no intelligence, Kageromaru had been quite intelligent, cunning, and the one that gave the orders between the two. _

_Still, Inuyasha had eventually slashed the Tetsusaiga into the duo, killing them in the end. _

_Next to an unnamed being with a serpentine lower body and a humanoid torso which had lived very shortly, instantly killed by Kikyo minutes after its emergence, the sixth incarnation to be spawned had been Muso: he'd been released from Naraku's body as a re-embodiment of the thief Onigumo, the human many demons had fused with to create the dark hanyou in the very beginning. In order to rid himself of the still present human heart of Onigumo inside him, which prevented him from being able to kill Kikyo (the priestess that'd begun to plot his death) Naraku had decided to creat this detachment so very different from the others. Muso'd taken the form of a faceless man with a scar in the shape of a spider on his back. He slew numerous people while in his search for a face... __He was ultimately re-absorbed back into Naraku's body, effectively dying. _

_Kagura, the second incarnation to be originated from Naraku, and the one that Kanna had been the closest with, had been created right after the void child... and had been the only one besides Kanna herself who had ever managed to last this long... She was a wind sorceress and a wind youkai; from the very beginning, her only desire had been to kill Naraku in order to free herself from his control; however, because Naraku carried her physical heart on his very palm all the time, her defiance could only lead to her own demise with just a little squeeze of his hand… which was exactly what had happened later: _

_When Kohaku, the young taijiya had revealed to her that he'd recovered his lost memory, the two of them had become allies due to their common desire for Naraku's destruction. Kagura ended up growing protective of the boy and ultimately defied the Dark Hanyou openly to allow him to escape, which was what had lead to her being dosed with his corrosive poison... _

_Akago and Hakudoshi, the last incarnations to die along with Moryomaru, the golem puppet created by Kakudoshi for Akago's protection, had grown tired of taking orders from Naraku and begun to work together to overthrow him. However, they were killed not long after Naraku's discovery of their betrayal… Hakudoshi by being abandoned during a battl,e without the saimyousho or hell wasps to protect him from getting swallowed by the Buddhist monk's wind tunnel or Kazana, and Akago by being re-absorbed into Naraku along with Moryomaru, just like Muso had been before him… _

So it had come to this.

Given that she'd been the very first detachment that Naraku had ever created using the powers of his fragment of the Shikon no Tama, she had believed at some point in the past that she'd somehow also be the last to go.

However, the latest happenings had proven her wrong.

--Flashback—

"_Kanna, these are orders from Naraku" the raven haired Byakuya approached to tell the white haired little girl "Once you've spoken with the girl Usagi, you must go place your mirror on the lake one more time and keep luring Inuyasha's group towards where you are…" _

--End Flashback—

Somewhere, at some point, the male known as Byakuya of Illusions, Naraku's ninth creation and his replacement for Kagura, had managed to take her place as the most loyal incarnation.

She was no longer needed…. she knew.

Like all her brothers and sisters before her, she'd too become expendable.

It was no secret what would happen if she failed; what she would have to do if she didn't manage to break the inu-hanyou's sword. The instructions she'd been given didn't leave space for any doubts…

…To return after having destroyed the hanyou's sword, or to not return at all.

She'd known this would someday happen… she'd known from the very beginning. It was to be her Fate… she'd known she'd never truly had another choice.

As she waited by the shinning lake that was to be her graveyard, patiently for the enemy to make his appearance, the white-haired little youkai gazed down at her own reflection on the crystal blue waters.

Crystal blue.

Like a certain someone's own crystal blue eyes.

Usagi-san; the girl whose voice could soothe the deepest of worries… whose laughter sounded like Heaven bells' jingling…

The girl whose smile could light a thousand candles.

_She'd never had pretty eyes like Usagi-san_

Her eyes seemed to reflect every single emotion.

_Eyes are the windows of the soul… _

…_But in Kanna's case, they reflected nothing at all._

Because she was… _soulless? _

It didn't matter either way.

For she was going to die today.

At least, she'd been allowed to say good bye…

--Flashback—

"_The Master's sent me on a special mission regarding his enemies, and I know this time…I won't come back alive…" she said with no emotion._

"_W-What? What are you saying, Kanna?!"_

"…_This will be the last time we see each other"_

"_NANI?!"_

"_I just wanted to say good bye…"_

"_B- B – but!!–"_

"_I'm glad I met you, Usagi-san… I will tell my sister, Kagura, about you, when we are reunited" not saying anything more, the void incarnation turned to walk away from her._

"…_WAIT, KANNA!" the shocked blonde ran after the white haired Void child, who slowly turned around "…WHY…?!"_

"…**_Because I thought you'd be the only one... who would care…"_**

--End Flashback—

It was then when she heard Inuyasha's group approaching.

With an imperceptible sigh, she prepared to face her last moments.

'_If I'd ever had a heart… I would have liked it to be like hers…'_

* * *

"I am so tired, hungry and so lost…and to top it all I don't even know where the hell I am" Usagi mumbled as she once again attempted to make sense of her surroundings. 

Trees to the right, trees and chirping birds to the left, trees and a few squirrels to the centre, and more trees behind…

…Trees, trees and more trees; but not a sight of the missing void child whatsoever.

She really didn't have any idea where she was. Whether she'd managed to go to the West, or if the only thing she'd accomplished was to run fruitlessly in circles.

She'd begun to grow slightly aggravated by now… _to hell with her faulty sense of direction!!! _She _knew _Kanna was in dire need of her help at that very precise moment, and what was she doing?! Getting lost in the middle of the forest with no clue as to where it was that she needed to go..!!

Frustrated, feelings sad, overwhelmed and utterly defeated, she eventually gave into the irresistible temptation of bending down to kneel on the ground and indulging in self-pity.

'_If Kaede-Baba could see this… some sorry excuse for a priestess I am… the kind that can't even begin to manage to find her way in order to help a friend, and only succeeds in getting lost in the middle of the jungle. Stupid, stupid Usagi! You should have asked for directions before you started running like crazy… the way things are going it doesn't really help anyone…' _

If only she could at least find her way back to the village… she would tell Kaede-sama what had happened, and all the truth about her origins, and beg for the older woman's wise advice and assistance… then she wouldn't feel so completely alone and helpless, like she was feeling now.

…_Defenseless in the middle of the forest, at the mercy of any and all the predator creatures around._

"I can't find Kanna and I can't find my way back. I am a failure…" she hugged herself as she began sniffling.

"_Hehehe…It's quite entertaining to hear you say that. It was time you started acknowledging your many a shortcomings, my dear 'Serenity'"_ she then heard a malicious voice laughing from behind her, and the blonde's head immediately snapped up.

Had someone actually been watching her?!

"Eh?! Who's there?!" she demanded as she stood, turning sharply around.

"I take it you don't remember me… princess" a lone figure stepped out of the shadows, and Usagi blinked "So it is true, I was informed right…you r people have returned"

"Huh? …P-Princess? M-me?" she pointed to herself in total confusion. "I am no princess…I am merely a commoner" she looked at the figure of the newcomer, apparently a man, with her mouth agape as she sweat dropped.

The man was tall, with short hair, strange clothing and a weird staff with a crescent moon on his right hand… but what was weirder about him was that half of his face was covered under a mask, not allowing her to see all of his features.

Was he a human man… or a youkai? Usagi found that she couldn't tell which for sure. The only thing that was sure was that this man looked positively menacing.

"Oh but you are, Serenity… Has your memory become so fickle that you no longer recall your bloodline, or even your birthright?"

Hearing those words, the blonde gasped. What was this stranger talking about?!

And…_Serenity… _why did that name suddenly sound _so familiar_?

The youth immediately shook her head to clear it out of these nonsensical thoughts. The situation was too turning familiar… She remembered some sort of mistaken-identity-mishap to have happened once already, though with Lord Sesshoumaru… and then began to feel a little fed up.

When this stranger had arrived, she was already feeling sad and helpless and tired and hungry and aggravated and angry at herself… she did NOT need for something like this to make it worse by occurring _just_ at this very _inappropriate_ time…what she needed was for someone, anyone, to show her the way back to Kaede's village so that she could get more competent help for Kanna… not for someone to think her some lost princess from Kami knows where… in a land where apparently all the girls were baptized '_Kagome'…_

She had more important matters to sort out at the moment… she could not afford to waste time by entertaining misguided people and allow yet _another _of these stupid happenings to distract her! This was why she decided then and there to put an end to this particular misunderstanding quickly, by straightening things up _immediately_.

Taking in and out slow breaths several times to get hold of her growing frustration, she raised her head to smile up at the stranger apologetically.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you must be mistaken… I am not Serenity, my name is Usagi…" she crossed her hands in front of her in polite humbleness, so as to sound more convincing.

"_Lies!_" the man's single visible eye narrowed as he hissed at her more threateningly, coming even closer "you _are _Serenity… I will not be fooled. Your mother and the Inu no Taisho might have wanted to keep you sealed and hidden, but nothing passes by my senses; if you weren't Serenity, my staff wouldn't react to your mere presence as it is doing this very second; there is _no_ error…" the man's staff began to glow "and because you've tried to deceive me, I shall not delay this… I shall take great pride in the task of your elimination!" he raised the staff high in the air, towering above her.

That was when Usagi's eyes finally widened… Mistake or no, this guy was seriously planning to kill her!

"_MEIDOU ZANGETSU-HA!!!_" she heard a stern voice shouted.

**To Be Continued.**


	35. Bleeding

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, or anything else that you recognize from those shows._

Chapter Thirty Four.

'Bleeding'

_She had more important matters to sort out at the moment… she could not afford to waste time by entertaining misguided people and allow yet another of these stupid happenings to distract her! This was why she decided then and there to put an end to this particular misunderstanding quickly, by straightening things up immediately._

_Taking in and out slow breaths several times to get hold of her growing frustration, she raised her head to smile up at the stranger apologetically._

"_I'm sorry, sir, but you must be mistaken… I am not Serenity, my name is Usagi…" she crossed her hands in front of her in polite humbleness, so as to sound more convincing._

"_Lies!" the man's single visible eye narrowed as he hissed at her more threateningly, coming even closer "you are Serenity… I will not be fooled. Your mother and the Inu no Taisho might have wanted to keep you sealed and hidden, but nothing passes by my senses; if you weren't Serenity, my staff wouldn't react to your mere presence as it is doing this very second; there is no error…" the man's staff began to glow "and because you've tried to deceive me, I shall not delay this… I shall take great pride in the task of your elimination!" he raised the staff high in the air, towering above her._

_That was when Usagi's eyes finally widened… Mistake or no, this guy was seriously planning to kill her!_

"_MEIDOU ZANGETSU-HA!" she heard a stern voice shouted._

With dread, the blonde realized that it'd been the masked man's voice.

"W-Wha-??!" she could only stare on frozen as a black ball of energy formed above the strange individual's staff and then headed straight for her... Once she saw it almost upon her, though, she managed to snap out of her shock in time to scoot out of the way.

_Yikes!_

However, when she turned around to inspect the damage done to the trees behind her, what she saw made her blood run cold.

_Nani!!!_

There were no trees… no nothing; just barren land in the shape of a circle, everywhere the ball of energy had passed.

Nothing.

…Was _this_ what would have happened to _her_ if she'd been caught?

_NO!!_

"Sir, please! I'm just trying to help a friend! I'm not--!!" when she saw him throw at her another one of those balls, and then another, she couldn't continue.

She _had_ to get out of their way…

"Who _are _you?! _Why_ are you doing this?!" she yelled as she got on her feet again, in the middle of a very battered part of the forest and having avoided at least four those things, she was beginning to feel not only frightened, but this time angry as well…

_She was growing so very sick of being pushed around_

"My name is of no consequence to you, Princess" the unknown man told her "for very soon you shall be dead…"

Gasp. "I TOLD you I am NO PRINCESS! _WHY CAN'T YOU GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD!!_" she screamed her head off at him, hoping it'd make it through…

…She wasn't a princess! She was just a normal person trying to help her friend!

…_Just what was this guy's problem? Why couldn't he understand?!_

"**BE SILENT, WENCH!**" he yelled at her just as loud, and raised a hand towards her to send a quick blast of light, which this time she was unable to dodge.

"_Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!!_" the poor girl could only cry out in pain as she felt her body being sliced through by wave after wave of electrical-like shocks, burning her skin and organs from the inside.

When the torture was finally over, she fell down like a ragdoll.

The masked man smiled.

"There's nowhere to run, now. What's the matter…you don't like pain, Serenity? How unfortunate, because I do happen to like it very much… But never fret; it'll soon be over" he raised his staff high in the air again "if I can't send you to hell directly with my technique of Meidou Zangetsu-ha, I shall tear you to pieces, then…_CRESCENT BLADES!!_"

This time, crescent shaped blades of energy shot from the staff in her direction, and that was when Usagi's rational side stopped working altogether, to concentrate on one thing, and one thing only…

Survival.

Diving away from their reach, she managed to avoid the first five, but the sixth and seventh blades still managed to impact on her delicate form, cutting deep slashes on her torso and stomach as she hit the ground with a sickening _thud_.

At the sight of her own crimson blood soaking the grass under her, slowly forming a pool around her, Usagi's mind completely shut down; sheer panic and hopelessness turning off all of her awareness.

Her once lively blue eyes became glazed over and dead.

"Have you given up, so?"

As if from miles away, she could still hear the evil taunts of her assailant.

Condescending...

"That was not nearly enough to kill you yet, but I'm afraid I must now proceed to put an end to our little fun. Good bye, princess… Do not forget to say hello to your wondrous mother for me in the afterlife…_Crescent Blade!_"

Another flash of light, and the blonde closed her eyes, preparing herself for the worst…

…But suddenly…

"_DON'T YOU **DARE **GET YOUR HANDS ON USAGI-SAMA!!!_" she heard another male's angry yell as a blur of black, blue and lavender charged furiously at said assailant, successfully knocking him away before he could finish performing the deadly attack.

Then it sounded like the two had started fighting each other.

The clash of their weapons like a distant echo…

"Boy! How _dare _you interfere!!" the voice of the enraged masked man, her attacker, demanded "I shall skin you alive for this!"

"_Please_... I could not care less what you think. Do as you wish with me, but I can't and I _won't _allow you to hurt her!!" the second voice, the one of the newcomer, shouted.

That voice…

Despite her fogged up mind, she still was capable to recognize it.

She'd heard it before… many of times.

Some newborn spark of light began to shine in the depths of Usagi's deadened eyes. She felt herself become enveloped by an unknown though also strangely familiar aura of power as well… her body starting to emit a brilliant, silver light.

'…_Aku…?' _

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile, somewhere else… a similarly violent scene was taking place by a certain lake.

"_Kanna's summoned… a giant monster youkai from her mirror to attack us, and then she just walked away?"_

"_She didn't go far… look! She's up there, on that cliff, watching us fight her puppet together along with Byakuya!"_

"_That thing… right after I tried slicing it with my sword… it also created a Tetsusaiga of its own! …What is happening?!"_

"_Inuyasha, watch out!"_

"_The wind scar?! That monster's sword has just been able to perform my technique of the wind scar with that fake Tetsusaiga?!" _

"_That is because the giant puppet made of crystal that Kanna summoned from her mirror, and out of the lake, is a mirror youkai, a mirror demon… it reflects all the opponent's attacks exactly like a mirror"_

"_No, it's not only the original Tetsusaiga's exact mirror reflection regarding just appearance… look; it's also copied its powers, and stolen them away! It's left my Tetsusaiga as a mere ordinary sword! However, I can feel it… Tetsusaiga hasn't given up yet! It is asking to borrow my youkai power. It wants to fight it along with me! …I will show that creature the **true** power of Tetsusaiga… … …Ugh! I hit it with all I had with my sword, and it still didn't leave a mark on this monster!"_

"_Mhm, the view of the battle from up here is quite interesting, don't you agree? What do you think has happened to Inuyasha's face, Kanna? He looks like a full youkai…but he's still in full possession of his mind… Eh?! Kanna, that wound on your chest… in the same place where the mirror demon was hit by the hanyou! Does this mean, that you're receiving all the hits done upon your puppet, and taking its wounds into yourself?" _

But Kanna never outwardly answered Byakuya's question.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: If you want to know who the masked guy is, guys, try looking for "Shishinki" on wikipedia… (Conspirator wink) **


	36. To Awaken

_Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, InuYasha, Inu-Yasha… or however you want to spell it. I also don't own Beautiful Senshi Sailor Moon, Beautiful Soldier Sailor Moon, Pretty Guardian Sera Muun… or whatever you want to call it. _

**Warning: A bit of SPOILERS in this chapter.**

Chapter Thirty Five.

'To Awaken'

Somewhere else… a similarly violent scene was taking place by a certain lake.

"_Kanna's summoned… a giant monster youkai from her mirror to attack us, and then she just walked away?"_

"_She didn't go far… look! She's up there, on that cliff, watching us fight her puppet together along with Byakuya!"_

"_That thing… right after I tried slicing it with my sword… it also created a Tetsusaiga of its own! …What is happening?!"_

"_Inuyasha, watch out!"_

"_The wind scar?! That monster's sword has just been able to perform my technique of the wind scar with that fake Tetsusaiga?!" _

"_That is because the giant puppet made of crystal that Kanna summoned from her mirror, and out of the lake, is a mirror youkai, a mirror demon… it reflects all the opponent's attacks exactly like a mirror"_

"_No, it's not only the original Tetsusaiga's exact mirror reflection regarding just appearance… look; it's also copied its powers, and stolen them away! It's left my Tetsusaiga as a mere ordinary sword! However, I can feel it… Tetsusaiga hasn't given up yet! It is asking to borrow my youkai power. It wants to fight it along with me! …I will show that creature the **true** power of Tetsusaiga… … …Ugh! I hit it with all I had with my sword, and it still didn't leave a mark on this monster!"_

"_Mhm, the view of the battle from up here is quite interesting, don't you agree? What do you think has happened to Inuyasha's face, Kanna? He looks like a full youkai…but he's still in full possession of his mind… Eh?! Kanna, that wound on your chest… in the same place where the mirror demon was hit by the hanyou! Does this mean, that you're receiving all the hits done upon your puppet, and taking its wounds into yourself?" _

But Kanna never outwardly answered Byakuya's question. She didn't speak, or whimper, or cry in pain every time her puppet sustained another wound from the Tetsusaiga… not even when Inuyasha managed to strike one of the monster's eyes…

"_What's this? Kanna… she is missing an eye?! The wounds in Kanna's body… are the same ones I gave the mirror youkai!" Inuyasha realized._

"_Kanna, stop this please!" Kagome shouted "If you keep fighting, you will die!" _

"_Well, aren't you considerate, showing concern for your enemy?" Byakuya admonished mockingly._

"_I'm only telling her to stop with this senseless fighting!" _

"_She's only obeying her orders… Honestly, what a funny group you are… if it'd been me" Byakuya told them "the moment I found that Kanna and her puppet were connected, I would have gone after Kanna without thinking it twice"_

"_Kanna… with the path you're taking, it will take only one attack more before you're destroyed!" Inuyasha tried to warn her, ignoring Byakuya "Don't give your life up for something like this! __It isn't worth it!"_

* * *

Meanwhile, something the Inu-tachi was not aware of was that their very enemy was listening into everything that was happening. 

"**_Hehehe, fools… are they trying to feel for Kanna? They're only wasting their energy… for Kanna doesn't feel a thing. No pain, fear or sadness… nothing at all. Least of all is she able to react to someone else's compassion. Those things mean nothing to her... Don't give up just yet, Kanna, not until Inuyasha's sword is destroyed. _****_You know this was the reason you were born..."_**

* * *

However, at the lake, the inuhanyou's group was catching things up fast. 

"_The mirror demon's fake Tetsusaiga has stolen my sword's youkai power… but **my** Tetsusaiga is still a sword able to absorb the powers and techniques of the enemy… so, if I manage to cut that imitation sword in two, the Tetsusaiga's powers will surely be absorbed back into it!" Inuyasha reasoned aloud._

"_That might be true, Inuyasha" Miroku warned "but Tetsusaiga's already received too many cracks and fissures from the mirror youkai, so you must hurry! If you don't; at the speed that this is going on, you and your sword are soon going to be done for!"_

'_**Naraku… I'm sure his plan is for Kanna and Inuyasha to end destroying each other…' **__Kagome thought glumly. _

* * *

Back in the other part of the forest… 

"_Please... I could not care less what you think. Do as you wish with me, but I can't and I won't allow you to hurt her!!" the second voice, the one of the newcomer, shouted._

_That voice…_

_Despite her fogged up mind, she still was capable to recognize it._

_She'd heard it before… many of times._

_Some newborn spark of light began to shine in the depths of Usagi's deadened eyes. She felt herself become enveloped by an unknown though also strangely familiar power as well… her body starting to emit a brilliant, silver light._

'…_Aku…?' _

Slowly, the blond was returning back to consciousness as she heard her friend confronting the odd man of the mask.

Neither of them had apparently noticed that till just seconds ago, her entire body had been covered in a dim light… and Usagi hadn't either.

"I see you have been using the same technique as the Western Lord… Who are you?" Aku's voice demanded "why do you seek to hurt Usagi-sama?"

"Whatever connections I have with the Lord of the West, are for my knowledge alone, boy; so is my business with your precious _Usagi-sama_" the subject almost spit out the title, threateningly and despising "Who do you think you're talking to, insolent _kid_? You better step aside and let me deal with her, because you can _not_ defeat the great Shishinki….you're way over your head"

_Shishinki?… so this was the guy's name?_

"I told you I will NOT let you touch her!" the male incarnation shouted.

"Fine, then… reckless twit. You WILL be punished!!!" the stranger, Shishinki, yelled as he waved his staff towards him, sending another of his electrical shocks.

Seeing the huge blast of electricity headed straight for him at unavoidable speed, the male incarnation had the time to let out a small gasp before it got him.

But then…

"**_AAAAAARRRR_GGGGGhhhh!!!!!!!!!!**"

"**-AKU!!!**" her dear friend's exclamations of pain were what finally got her fully awake.

However, even when she'd again become aware, she found that she'd grown so weak from the great amount of blood loss that it took all of her might just to be able to get up.

Clutching one of her wounded sides, she yelled at the masked man in total distress "S-STOP!!! Let him g-go! It's m-me who you want… is-isn't it?!"

This was all she managed to say before what little strength she had left abandoned her completely, making her fall straight back to the merciless, cold unforgiving ground as a result.

'_I can not move… I can barely stand… NO!! How am I going to be able help Aku?! …But I HAVE to do something!!' _she felt her growing fear as she watched him writhing in agony.

She couldn't bear the thought of one of her friends dying because he'd tried to save her...

_**This man… he was going to kill them both!**_

"Princess, I'm surprised to see you're still alive" the subject who called himself Shishinki said, dismissing the detachment's no longer restrained screams to glance lazily in her direction "I would have thought you would've already bled yourself to death" he told her condescendingly "now I am certainly going to have to deal with you; what a pity… it would have been a rather painless death"

_Painless?_

If it had been anytime, anywhere else, the mere suggestion of her current situation as 'painless' would have made her shudder with the idea of what other kinds of greater torture he could still have in store for her… but Usagi was feeling too worried about what could happen to Aku to no longer care about what could happen to herself right now.

She'd already failed terribly in her attempt to help Kanna… for she knew she was probably not going to get out of here alive, either…; she really felt she didn't need to put anyone else in danger too.

Besides…because Usagi was feeling so weak and helpless, having lost hope in her chances to save her other albino friend, that she felt like she also wanted to die.

She thought miserably that it surely was the least she deserved for that abominable failure...

"Do what you wish to me" she said weakly, echoing Aku's former request and trying not to shake in her resolution "…but please… whatever it is…leave him out of it"

"Oh, how _touching_" the man mocked her, snorting "however, what's the rush? You're not going anywhere in the state you are… I can always finish with you later… and since you seem to care deeply for this boy I guess could have a little fun with him, first… After all, he too has made himself deserving of a lesson" once again, he raised and waved his staff.

"NOOO!!!!!" the youth shouted when she saw another electrical bolt lunge for Aku, who could no longer muster the effort to needed to scream.

"…Are you enjoying this, Princess Serenity? Are you feeling great emotional ache? I crave to see you suffer… feel both physical and emotional pain before your soul parts for the Underworld… I relish seeing you in such torment"

_At this cruel announcement, unexpectedly and without explanation… Usagi felt her body start getting very warm with a growing inner aura_

'_Nani?!' _

Feeling stronger all of a sudden, her wounds miraculously healed, she realized that she could get up, and did so slowly.

"Ruuunnnn, U-usaaa-gii-saaamaaa…"she heard the voice of her beloved lavender-haired male friend begging of her.

"No… Aku…I can't leave you! …I _won't_!" she turned to him with despair.

_She felt herself overwhelmed with an unquenchable desire to protect. _

"_Ruuuuuuunnnn!!!!!!!_" he insisted once more. Then he gave out, and fainted.

"Okay… Time to say good bye to our insolent young fellow"

Usagi paled as Shishinki began to conjure his infamous razors... her previous fear and despair succumbing to anguish.

This time, the attack he would send him was going to kill Aku for sure!

Aku was going to die… and all she could do was watch it!

…Just like the people in her blurred memories, Aku was going to die…

_An unknown, though strangely familiar power began to awaken and flow through her veins with this unacceptable notion_

Just like the people in her memories, he was going to die because of her being weak, useless and helpless.

…Just like Kanna was…

_She could feel that power wanting to lash out_

Aku was going to die…

Aku was going to die… just like some place else, Kanna was as well.

**Aku was going to die… **

_**...before her very eyes…**_

"_Crescent―_"

"No…"

"―_BLADES!!!_"

"**_NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**"

_Finally, the power found an exit, and exploded… _

Out of the blue, and triggered by her emotions, the entire area was washed by a blinding burst of sudden, amazing, **beautiful** Holy Light…

* * *

Not far from there and hidden by the trees, the pristine, silent silhouette of the Taiyoukai of the West, Lord Sesshoumaru, stood watching. 

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's taking so slow… but I wanted to describe the gradual progression of this event right… you see, this is no ordinary burst of Light that Usagi's just emited: it's the sign of a higher evolution.**

**Hope you liked this chapter, and please let me know what you think.**

**Cheers!**


	37. Not yet

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the shows, the basic background of each, and I certainly am not Rumiko or Naoko. _

Chapter Thirty Six.

'Not yet'

"_Okay… Time to say good bye to our insolent young fellow" Usagi paled as Shishinki began to conjure his infamous razors... her previous fear and despair succumbing to anguish._

_This time, the attack he would send him was going to kill Aku for sure! Aku was going to die… and all she could do was watch it!_

…_Just like the people in her blurred memories, Aku was going to die…_

_An unknown, though strangely familiar power began to awaken and flow through her veins with this unacceptable notion_

_Just like the people in her memories, he was going to die because of her being weak, useless and helpless._

…_Just like Kanna was…_

_She could feel that power wanting to lash out_

_Aku was going to die…Aku was going to die… just like some place else, Kanna was as well._

_Aku was going to die… ...before her very eyes…_

"_Crescent―"_

"_No…"_

"―_BLADES!!!"_

"_NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_

_Finally, the power found an exit, and exploded… Out of the blue, and triggered by her emotions, the entire area was washed by a blinding burst of sudden, amazing, beautiful Holy Light…_

* * *

For someone like Usagi, for the kind of person that Usagi was, to see her care for the people she had labeled has her friends, was to be expected. Taking account of that which one would think as her supposed past, for her aura to react at one of those friends' great peril by exploding in a burst of energy was to be expected also…

What was not to be expected, was for the light to keep growing and growing steadily till it covered the whole forest, country… and then the entire planet.

It was _not_ the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal.

It was…

…**_something else… and different._**

And it was affecting all several places at the same time.

The threads of Fate were all suddenly altered… and snapped.

* * *

_At the lake… _

"_NANI?" Byakuya cried suddenly, turning around swiftly. "THAT AURA?! …Impossible!" when he turned back to Kanna, he found that she was nowhere to be seen._

"_What…? What is happening??!!!" Higurashi Kagome shouted as she struggled to keep down her skirt and pull her hair out of her face. The powerful sudden gusts that had unexpectedly arisen, just when Inuyasha was about to attempt another strike at Kanna, had left all of the, allies and enemies dumbfounded by cutting into their battle, successfully putting an end to it. _

"_Where the hell is this monstrous wind and light coming from?!" the angry hanyou demanded to no one, clutching tightly at his Tetsusaiga "At this rate… we're all going to be blown away!!"_

"_Hold on, take my hand Houshi-sama!" Sango, the demon slayer shouted as she reached out with her hand to help the monk, who was about to loose grip on the rock he was holding onto so that the wind wouldn't pull him away any further._

"_S-Sango!" Miroku exclaimed as he also reached out as far as he could towards her hand so that he could grab it. Fortunately for the two of the, the demon feline Kirara immediately rushed to his side to help him back with the rest of the group. Once they were all back together, they run to take refuge from the gusts in a nearby cave, whereas Byakuya summoned his paper plane and escaped._

…_Kanna had mysteriously disappeared._

* * *

_Once the Inu-tachi stepped inside the cave, Miroku put on a protective barrier. "We should stay here and wait till this wind storm passes" a disheveled Inuyasha stated._

_Brutal earthquakes were also shaking the earth._

"_Is it a hurricane?" Shippo asked, as dumbfounded as the adults. _

"_I don't know…" Sango responded. _

"_It has the strangest feeling to it, as if emitted by a very powerful being's aura" the monk nodded "Do you think it could be a youkai, Kagome-sama?"_

"_I- I'm not sure…I don't think so, it feelholy. Not just holy…but, but …**divine**…" the girl from the future stuttered weakly as if scandalized by her own statement, all the more none the surer than the others were._

"_But what type of creature could be radiating this gruesome holy power?" was what Miroku couldn't begin to fathom._

_Not knowing what to answer, the others chose to remain silent._

* * *

Back in that certain part of the forest.

"_No!!!!!!_ How can it be..?! This is… this is… _not_ the power of the Silver Crystal!!!" an almost hysteric Shishinki yelled as he fought to keep his own protective youkai barrier up with his staff.

If the barrier was broken, the growing holy aura would surely end up purifying him, it would be his end! Gazing at his former targets, he saw that the girl had been covered and surrounded in a cocoon of light, inside of which the outline shadow of her oddly bigger and more grown up bent figure of a woman could be seen, floating.

_How was she capable to possess such boundless power?!_

"Usagi…sama…" Aku mumbled as he felt himself slowly returning back to consciousness, in the same manner that his protégée had done only minutes before him; his wounds healed.

He still couldn't understand what had happened.

_Meanwhile, inside the cocoon of light, the female that they'd all previously known as Usagi was struggling with her resurfacing memories._

'_Please, not now… not yet!'_

_Trying to fight them back into the farthest back of her mind._

'…_It's too early!'_

_But her hair had already turned silver. Her naked form had already been bathed in a suit of clear light._

'_No…'_

_A long staff on her hand, and then a silver cape and wings appeared falling down her back._

'_No…'_

_A star replaced the crescent birthmark on her forehead…_

'_No! … I don't want to go back; I like it here… …I don't want to remember yet!'_

'**_Is it truly what you want…Cosmos? …To remain in this much simpler form? To continue being Tsukino Usagi, and Princess Serenity…for another while longer?' a soft childlike voice asked inside her mind._**

'_Yes…it is all that I want…what I want right now. To remain as Usagi… …if it's just for a little more'_

'**_So be it…then' the voice conceded. 'Though it can not be forever…'_**

_As if a consequence of those words, the majority of the boundless power retracted back from its wandering above the whole planet and was reabsorbed into her body…the staff, cape and star insignia quickly disappeared, the moon crescent showing back in it's original place instead; her now silver hair returned to its former lustrous golden…her body was turned back to its previous height of a teenager and her feathery wings were the only thing that somehow stayed as her body suit was also replaced once she took the form of a lower, more average sailor soldier. _

…Eternal Sailor Moon.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Those who are Sess-fans don't worry, his reaction will come in the next chapter. This one was kinda short… but worthwhile, don't you think? "All those who weren't expecting this raise your hand up…" (Jay FicLover raises her hand with an embarrassed sweat drop). _Chuckle…_ Now I _know_ what they mean when they say that the "story's developed a life of its own", LOL. Naaahhh… I knew it was gonna happen, just not so soon, keep the faith on your writer! (grins)**


	38. Broken

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon SuperS or Sailor Moon Sailor Stars of the anime… Also the Sailor Moon or Dark Kingdom Arc ("Negaverse"), the Black Moon Arc ("Nemesis"), the Infinity Arc ("Heart Snatchers"), the Dream Arc ("Death Moon") or the Stars Arc ("Shadow Galactica") of the manga all do not belong to me… I don't own the show, manga or characters of Inuyasha either. _

Chapter Thirty Seven

'Broken'

…_Mistrust…_

…_Apprehension… _

…_Confusion... _

…_Wonder…_

He didn't know which was which anymore …let alone was he capable to use them to sort out the current chaos that was his mind.

First, the startling discovery that there was someone _else_ capable of invoking the Meidou's power; and now this.

'_Who'_

None of the previous words would serve enough to describe it.

'…_Who…' _

No matter how hard one tried…

In his mind, there were no certainties.

There was…

Only one question…

One.

'_Who is she?'_

As the world around him fell down like piles of ash, then slowly rose back up and reconstructed… he stood in place, as if on looking… a passive sight to the eyes.

At his feet, by his side, the unsheathed Tenseiga lay broken

_**...Just like the threads of Fate had...**_

**_

* * *

_**

In the castle in the heavens, the Lady of the West walked out to stare up at the storming skies, and smiled.

…The red gem in her hands was glowing…

* * *

"_What is going on out there_, Kaede-sama?! …Can the world, can the world be _coming to an end?!_" one of the villagers asked while embracing his children protectively as the ground shook with another earthquake, not quite sure even himself whether he preferred the Buddhist's or the Christian's idea of "doomsday"; though concepts such as the Apocalypse rather belonged in foreign religions like western Catholicism they still had managed to reach the ears of many, ever since the arrival of the first Portuguese _Nanban_ traders and Spanish Jesuits in Japan, in the middle of the 16th Century. 

At those words, Kaede had immediately shushed the man a bit tensely…remembering that those who professed the foreign faith in those turbulent times could perhaps be running the risk of getting punished with _haritsuke_; or in other words, crucifixion…

Even though anybody had yet to get hurt, several of the people of the village had requested special permission inside the _keidaichi_,the lands or precincts of the local shrine, in order to engage in a set of emergency rites and prayers to the gods, kami and ancestors to placate whoever of them had become angry enough to cause this natural disaster.

However, Kaede was distracted by something else.

Usagi.

She hadn't seen her anywhere…

"Young Ryuji… have you by any chance happened to see my pupil, _Togebuki-_san?"

"No, Kaede-sama" the child shook his head "I haven't seen her"

"Could she be with any of the other children?" Kaede asked again, feeling her heart grow heavy with trepidation.

"No… because we were all playing together before and she wasn't with any of us" Ryuji told her, his big eyes getting even bigger with realization "we thought she was with you, Kaede-sama, continuing with her training… wasn't she?"

The priestess' worn face darkened in dismay. "I'm afraid that she wasn't"

Seeing the look on her face, the child immediately became anxious. "I – I – I…_I'll tell everyone to ask if they have seen her!_" turning away, he run to inform the other children that their beloved blonde friend had gone missing.

Watching him go with a heavy heart, lifting a hand to cover her mouth gaping with dread, Kaede could do nothing but blame herself.

'_I let her go by herself… I- I let her go by herself! Now she's out there, all alone… in the forest… in this hurricane…'_

She wanted to kill herself.

* * *

'_**So be it…then' the voice conceded. 'Though it can not be forever…'**_

_As if a consequence of those words, the majority of the boundless power retracted back from its wandering above the whole planet and was reabsorbed into her body…the staff, cape and star insignia quickly disappeared, the moon crescent showing back in it's original place instead; her now silver hair returned to its former lustrous golden…her body was turned back to its previous height of a teenager and her feathery wings were the only thing that somehow stayed as her body suit was also replaced once she took the form of a lower, more average sailor soldier. _

…Eternal Sailor Moon.

* * *

…_Whispers…_

…_Sounds…._

…_Images…_

…_Memories._

There were so many of them.

Three different, separate lifetimes.

'_I…'_

But the memories were being selective.

'_Do I know who I am?'_

Usagi.Was that, or not, her name?

…_Selenity._

…_Serenity…_

…_Serena._

_**Serena…**_

'**_Serena? Can you hear me?'_**

_**The Cosmos Star**_

_**Cosmos**_

…**_Moon and Cosmos_**

**_Moon…_**

'_I wanted… …to be the Moon'_

_So much…_

Finally, the slightly taller body of the floating teenager descended down in slow motion before Shishinki's sight. Her blue eyes were once more glazed over, as if she was still in some sort of trance.

Everything was slowly getting back to normal.

Almost.

"Usagi-sama" Aku said, trying not to loose consciousness like a while ago.

"_H- how?!_" said a stammering Shishinki as he lowered his youkai barrier. "I didn't know the Moon Princess would have this kind of power, how is this possible?!!"

'**_Because she is not Tsukino Usagi, or Neo Queen Serenity, and hasn't been for a long time…' _**

…This was what the same non-corporeal voice from before announced cryptically for all to hear... Shishinki immediately stood on guard.

'…**_Even when she's taken back that body…that spirit… she is one with her reincarnation… into the next life' _**

"Who's there??" the masked youkai then demanded, but his question was never replied to.

"…_Reincarnation…?_" meanwhile, the blonde sailor soldier said, coming out of her daze.

The same statement echoed again and again in her mind.

'_I am… not her…'_

Before completing that thought, though, she fainted dead away.

* * *

Not far from there, the Western Lord still stared on silently, golden eyes dangerously narrowing. 

…_Anger…_

…_Vengeance…_

…_Boiling as he looked at the unconscious form on the ground_

His memento; his inheritance.

Destroyed …due to a lowly miko's power burst going out of hand.

_She'd be punished_

_Oh, yes_

_She would be..._

The human would pay dearly for breaking his Father's Fang.

**To Be Continued**


	39. Missing

_Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Sailor Moon do not belong to me._

Chapter Thirty Eight.

'Missing'

"Looks like it's over" the next morning, Miroku finally mumbled after hours of nothing but silence coming from the outside.

"Yes, houshi-sama; it all sounds very calm" Sango nodded as she made her way to the mouth of the cavern to give a quick glance at the peaceful skies, a small kistune scurrying by her side. "Whether it was an enraged kami, or a normal typhoon it's all gone now"

"Phew, that's a relief! I thought we we're all going to die just now!" Shippo cried as he attached himself to Sango's leg tightly, still shivering.

"Heh; what an understatement, runt" the red clad hanyou snorted "we could do nothing but hear your incessant bawling all throughout the night"

"That's mean, Inuyasha!" the little fox demon protested "Everyone could tell you were also frightened!"

"I was not!" Inuyasha crossed his arms stubbornly.

"You were too!" the smaller one insisted.

"Was _not_!"

"_Were too!_"

"WAS NOT!_"_

"_WERE TOO!"_

"_**WAS NOT AND THAT'S FINAL!!**"_

…

Half amused and half tired, Kagome inwardly grinned and sighed, managing to do both at the same time.

"Anyway… guys, don't you think that's weird?" she attempted to change the topic of conversation "Inuyasha says Tetsusaiga seems to have recovered its youkai power, but we haven't defeated the enemy… Anyone know what could have happened to that mirror youkai and Kanna?"

The rest shook their heads in denial.

"They just vanished in thin air so suddenly…"

* * *

**(One week and a half later)**

"**_What. Do. You. Mean…_ that you _can't _find her?" the Dark Hanyou roared at his saimyousho, the hell wasps spies that he always sent to retrieve information, who at this time had come back with nothing "…She can't have just _disappeared_ from the face of the earth! What about Kanna, or Aku…?"**

**The answer was the same. They couldn't locate them; but there was something else…**

**Something, or _someone_, was interfering with his omniscient-like senses, and not allowing either the hellish insects or his last detachments, Byakuya and Tsumi, to go anywhere near Sesshoumaru's group by putting a very strong sacred barrier around them. Furthermore, he hadn't been able to tell what'd been going on with the Taiyoukai and his band for more than a week and a half, thus unable to gather any knowledge about Kohaku and the jewel shard he was still carrying. **

**It was somewhat upsetting; to know someone could interfere with his usually faultless system of espionage, or the projection of omniscience on which he had worked for so long and so hard, this easily and without him being able to find out who it was. He'd spent so much time perfecting his spy networks; making sure that, no matter whoever managed to interfere with these information sources, he would never be left without knowing the one responsible, so that he could retaliate with a new plan to deal with that latest meddlesome inconvenience. **

**But now, someone had done just that. And he had absolutely no idea who… This fact proved that, whoever it'd been, they weren't just an 'inconvenience', they were a real threat; a threat that could have something to do with the blonde's disappearance. **

**It was very unsettling… **

**Almost as much as the fact of Usagi's sudden disappearance was in itself.**

**For the first time in his life, Naraku was feeling something akin to _real _worry… over someone that wasn't himself. **

**He knew she had somehow managed come into her powers: the worldwide cataclysm that had affected the entire planet a week and a half ago, committing massive destruction in a matter of seconds before returning everything to normal _completely_, as if it'd never happened, had been enough evidence of that. He had always known that one day, it would have to happen… she would have to regain them; he just hadn't intended for it to happen all at once. **

**He had no doubts, thus: the upheaval had to have been somehow provoked by Usagi…only the force that he knew had been hidden within her could have been capable of such wonder manifestation. **

**But then… just like the cataclysm, after that glorious sprout her aura had also vanished. **

…**Untraceable.**

**And now his servants were telling him that they couldn't find her either.**

**Somehow, all his plans seemed to been flushed down the toilet.**

**_It can't be... All this work for nothing?!_ **

**Naraku felt his control slipping. Unable to restrain his anger any longer, he grasped the Shikon Jewel and threw it harshly against the wall, shattering it back into a thousand pieces.**

**It would take long before he could mend it together again. **

**However.**

**_What good was it for him to have the almost complete jewel, now, if he'd lost the only other possible vessel for half the power he wanted to obtain?!_**

**What was more astonishing, though, was that Naraku wasn't concerned for that power this time as much as he was for the safety of blonde youth _herself_. He was currently growing very angry with himself for becoming so attached to the girl, to the point of no longer being able to think clearly and growing careless…**

**In spite of his efforts to remain otherwise. **

**Truth was, ignorance wasn't bliss in this case; no.**

**In _this case_, it was eating him alive.**

"**Where…Tell me where"**

**And if it was necessary, he would move earth and sky to find her.**

'**_Where are you…Butterfly?'_**

* * *

"Don't think of trying to escape. Until she awakens, neither of you are going anywhere" the stoic Lord told him once more, before turning around

The lavender haired detachment waited for the Taiyoukai to turn his back on him before sticking his tongue out.

'_You dimwit… she already has'_

However, in truth he knew what the silver haired Demon Lord was all about: despite a good amount of her previously dormant powers now being active, the blonde teenager still hadn't woke up.

It was already a week and a half since the cataclysm and she had yet to recover consciousness after she'd passed out.

How in the name of heaven someone could sleep for _that_ _long_ was a question that Aku didn't know to respond to.

And on the other hand, in case it wasn't enough, there you had mister icicle from outer space keeping tabs on the two of them hostages like some kind of stalking watchdog…All because of his stupid sword, or so he had heard him say.

Either way, Aku found he was very thankful for his piece of the "makeshift" Fuyoheki; the piece of stone around his neck unquestionably accountable for the little fact that Sesshoumaru hadn't been able to_ smell _just who he was _in league with_, as a manner of speaking, just yet.

Something which, as a matter of fact, he intended to stay that way, thank you. He'd rather much prefer to keep his head.

Now if he could only get Usagi-sama, the _Lazy_, to wake up from La-La-land so that they could run for it and escape, may be back to Naraku-sama, the village or _something_…

Speaking of Usagi-sama, by the way…

'_What the hell is she wearing?'_

Of his scarce months of being a detachment, Aku'd never seen such a short or weirder garment in his entire life: three layers of what looked like a skirt, a white upper piece that hugged to her delicate form like a second skin, globes, boots and… _'wings_? _Or whatever the hell that they are' _He'd never seen his blonde friend in such a weird outfit before… what in the world had she done to those pretty miko garbs that she'd been donning before? They were so much nicer and… identifiable.

No doubt, a lot of things had come to pass in the brief while he was out… like Usagi-sama somehow managing to change for another set of clothes in record time. Once they'd run _very _away from the menacing Taiyoukai, he'd sure make a point to ask her.

But not now.

Not with a rather grumpy Demon Lord growling every time he came near her, as if thinking he'd snatch her and fly away.

Not that he wouldn't… by the way…

"Hi, um, mister?" a child's voice suddenly cut in through his thoughts, and Aku looked down at the raven haired little girl that had spoken to him, weary of the eyes of the Taiyoukai surveying his every move.

Making a point to ignore this, he noticed that Rin was fidgeting nervously. Guessing by her manners it must be of importance, the detachment stared at the girl expectantly, patiently waiting for her to gather her courage and come out with whatever imperious thing she had to say.

"Would you like a crown of flowers?"

…

'_Does she ever think of something else?'_ Rather baffled, a dumbfounded Aku couldn't help but blink.

'…_That girl seriously needs pastimes…'_

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**A/N: Short, but longer than before… I just need to take things slow for a while as I continue to make up my mind about what lies ahead, and add some suspense and humor while at it, to keep you guys entertained... Don't wanna click on a chapter only to find out an author's note telling you to re-read the first cause I changed it on a whim, do you? This is why I need to take things slow, please bear with me ok? (gives the pathetic puppy eyes look)**

**More of Sesshoumaru's POV in the next chapter. Actually, it's his POV I'm still debating with. (Looks at Sesshoumaru accusingly "It's your fault I haven't updated in almost a week". Sesshoumaru: "Don't underestimate me human, I know it's because you ate something that didn't sit well with your stomach, and ended two days feeling sick". Jay: "HUSH! No need to mention that!") (Jay sweatdrops) **


	40. Mysteries

_Disclaimer: I don't own them, none of them except Aku and Tsumi._

Chapter Thirty Nine.

'Mysteries'

"Don't think of trying to escape. Until she awakens, neither of you are going anywhere" Sesshoumaru told the lavender-haired boy stoically once more before turning away, very much aware of the fact that the boy had taken the chance to stick his tongue out at him, probably thinking that if he wasn't looking, he wouldn't realize.

What an ignorant mongrel.

"Hi, um, mister? …Would you like a crown of flowers?"

What annoyed him even more was that his ward seemed to be quite taken with him, looking at the younger male and blushing every once in a while as she played with her ever present flowers. _She must find him handsome_, the Demon Lord supposed, yet was it a reason enough to be treating him so reverently? He almost wished his servant Jaken was here, if only to hear him pester the impertinent boy out with his incessant name-calling.

But no; he'd sent him away along with the taijiya to retrieve the lunch for the day, and they'd probably not be back for another hour.

―However, despite what some might believe, Sesshoumaru _was_ aware of the fact that Naraku could attack them while he was not near; in fact, he was counting on it as a way to lure the elusive creature out of his constant hiding: if Naraku even thought of showing his dirty half-breed self while the two were hunting, Jaken would send him a signal with the Staff of Heads, and he'd make sure to be there to cut his head immediately.

Be as it may, he did not like that he couldn't catch scent or feel of any sort of aura coming from this strange creature, even when he could guess by his looks that it most likely was some sort of hanyou or youkai of an unknown kind. He knew the boy must have some kind of presence concealing power within him; though whether he was currently using that ability naturally as an inseparable part of his essence, or to keep that very essence a secret from him on purpose…that was something that, for the moment, would have to remain in question.

Still, Sesshoumaru wasn't worried: he knew he would find out sooner or later, whether this boy wanted it or not.

For the moment, though, he had different issues to deal with now.

One of them being the golden haired figure lying sprawled on the floor of the abandoned cabin they were presently occupying ― which had been found years ago by Jaken, after it'd belonged for decades to an already deceased hermit; and even when Sesshoumaru's stomach retched at the mere prospect of setting foot on a human residence, he'd had to consent that they make use of it for the time being, since he couldn't very well expect getting answers from the human girl if being left outdoors ended making her sick from the cold or the rain, because in her fainted state she couldn't tend to herself.

That was how he and his followers had found themselves watching her and her companion as they all sat and waited for her to wake up… When Jaken's insistent shaking had failed to make her come to consciousness several times, the Taiyoukai had reached the conclusion that for some unknown reason she'd entered a state of temporary dormancy from which she would not awaken until it's due time. The undercurrents of life force flowing slowly all around and within her had also been the key indication.

Hence, they waited.

And waited…

_And waited._

In spite of Jaken's constant complaining and Rin, the 'prisoner' and taijiya growing restless, Sesshoumaru had resolved to keep it up for as long as it was necessary: the mystery of Tenseiga's reactions to her fear and suffering, the masked youkai's identity and the damage done to Tenseiga had all required that he find out on his own way what this was all about, which was, in part, waiting for the girl to wake up so that he could figure out what she knew.

He couldn't define just what was it with this girl… the more he crossed paths with her, the more he found she proved to be a rather persistent enigma; one that he found that he could no longer ignore, from the moment she'd indirectly broken the Sword of Heaven.

It'd been only the last link in a chain of interesting concurrences, though; all of them oddly pointing to this harmless-looking very female.

First, the fact that the sword would always lead him towards her every time she appeared to be in trouble; the Demon Lord wanted to scowl at the idea that Tenseiga would compel him to act as a human's guard dog, but after seeing it happen three times, he could no longer deny the evidence: it'd been Tenseiga that once again had guided him to the place where the girl was being attacked by that masked youkai…

_A youkai that could summon the same powers as Tenseiga. _

…Sesshoumaru could still recall the words he'd exchanged with him before the stranger fled…

Flashback

"_H- how?!" said a stammering Shishinki as he lowered his youkai barrier. "I didn't know the Moon Princess would have this kind of power, how is this possible?!!"_

'_**Because she is not Tsukino Usagi, or Neo Queen Serenity, and hasn't been for a long time…' **…This was what the same non-corporeal voice from before announced cryptically for all to hear... Shishinki immediately stood on guard. '…**Even when she's taken back that body…that spirit… she is one with her reincarnation… into the next life' **_

"_Who's there??" the masked youkai then demanded, but his question was never replied to._

"…_Reincarnation…?" meanwhile, the blonde sailor soldier said, coming out of her daze. The same statement echoed again and again in her mind. 'I am… not her…' Before completing that thought, though, she fainted dead away._

_Seeing this, Shishinki narrowed his eyes, raising his staff. "I don't care if it's Serenity, 'Usagi' or just another reincarnation! I **will** kill her!" he threw himself at the fainted girl's limp defenseless form._

"_USAGI-SAMA!!!" Aku yelled before losing the battle with fatigue; even though his wounds were healed, his energy hadn't been reestablished, and he found that he couldn't move._

_He couldn't shield her…_

_But then, just as he was about to accept the inevitable and give up, he saw how a flash of green light, coming out of nowhere, went and struck Shishinki in the middle, sending him flying away from his friend. It couldn't be…_

"_D-demon L-Lord Sesshoumaru?!" Aku watched with incredulous eyes as the Taiyoukai went to stand in front of the unconscious girl, in between her and her would be-killer._

…_Even from afar, he could see the sword that the Demon Lord was brandishing was pulsing with an eerie glow._

"_How…?"_

_However, the two combatants just ignored him. Narrowing his own eyes at the masked youkai, the Dog Demon began with his interrogation._

"_Who are you? How can you use the same Meidou Zangetsuha as this Tenseiga?" _

_Giving him a look of recognition, Shishinki lifted his chin with a malicious grin "Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands, I presume. What an interesting coincidence. So… you're following your Father's footsteps… by protecting **that** girl?" _

_Missing the more underlined innuendo, Sesshoumaru scowled. "I don't care what you do to this human…once after you give me an answer" he hissed. _

_…He did **not** protect mere undeserving humans… _

"_Oh, I see…" the masked man denoted "Well, I'm afraid that'll have to wait for another occasion" without further ado, he flew away before Sesshoumaru had the chance to stop him._

_This alone was proof enough that he was a very powerful youkai… _

End flashback.

After that memory, the Demon Lord looked down again at his sword.

_That youkai…_

_Could he have been the reason Tenseiga was pulsing?…Had the sword wanted Sesshoumaru to meet up with him… or was it once again just to save the life of that girl?_

And then there were his mother's words about that locket that the girl had 'given' to him, and which Rin had kept with her at all times…

"…_What exactly is this odd trinket?…Sesshoumaru…where did she get this?!"_

"…_Oh, Sesshoumaru" the Youkai Lady had laughed then, raising the object to his eye level"… you don't have **any **idea what this is, do you…?"_

He'd been too overwhelmed by Rin's death, at that time, to inquire any further about what she'd meant. But he would not make the same mistake now…

Besides, what he already knew was that the masked youkai was for some reason after her, thus keeping her around would be a safe way to guarantee that they crossed paths again.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Yay, chapter forty! There you go, Sesshoumaru's POV. **

**Next: Usa's thought and dreams during the week she was unconscious… when will the lazy girl wake up? Next chappie? The following after? Who knows. Keep reading… and find out!**


	41. Busted

_Disclaimer: Neither Inuyasha nor Sailor Moon are mine, nope._

Chapter Forty.

'Busted'

"_**Because she is not Tsukino Usagi, or Neo Queen Serenity, and hasn't been for a long time…Even though she's taken back that body…that spirit…she is one with her reincarnation, into the next life…"**_

The sentences echoed again and again in her subconscious.

Reincarnation.

'_I am…Tsukino Usagi's… Neo Queen Serenity's reincarnation?' _

'_But if that is true… then who am I?'_

'_Am I Serenity, or am I someone else?'_

Flashback

"_Cosmos crystal? Lambda power? Who are you?!" the leader of the former Amazon Quartet now turned Sailor Quartet, and protectors of Chibimoon, asked of her, stepping in front of her comrades._

"_Are you the future…?" Sailor Ceres repeated "…the ultimate Sailor Moon?!"_

End flashback.

Yes… she was Serenity; because once again, she'd been born to that name.

She was Serenity…but she wasn't Usagi.

Or better said, not _just_ Usagi, anyway…

Not just_ Neo Queen_ Serenity…

She was the power of all the Serenity-line… poured into one.

Undivided, and whole.

The power that draws everything, the power of Light… the Cosmos Seed…

…Of _Sailor Cosmos._

_I remember now._

"But if I am Sailor Cosmos… …why am I in this form?" she asked herself aloud, looking down at her open hands.

Her unclothed body floated in the sea of white that was currently her subconscious, knees pulled up close to her naked chest.

"…Why have I chosen to revert back to my former lifetime…taken the body of my previous self?"

'_**To protect them'**_

"Huh?" the mental image of the unconscious girl looked up.

"…Guardian Cosmos?"

* * *

'_I wonder what she's dreaming about, that is so interesting' _Sesshoumaru thought once more as he looked down at the motionless figure, no longer sure whether it was still in anger at her for continuing to keep them all stranded here like this, due to her persistence in staying unconscious; or if it was in genuine curiosity and interest.

What a strange human girl…

That is, if you could really call her that, as the wing-like things sprouting from her back begged to differ…

And if it'd been anybody else but Sesshoumaru… he might have even been a little worried, wondering if it was common for all sailor-suited girls to spontaneously grow a power burst out of the blue like that; in which case Inuyasha's 'wench', who wore a similar outfit, could suddenly undergo one too and do even more damage to his broken sword. ―Wait; then again, if you asked the secretly on looking Aku, that _might_ have very well been what Sesshoumaru was thinking at that moment… being one of the few people on the globe who'd worry for the safety of a sword over the very ball of cosmic dust on which he inhabited…

Anyway; back to Sesshoumaru, he was currently recounting that the girl hadcertainlyalso undergone some physical changes…

To begin with, her entire complexion had become paler to the point of almost translucent skin; she was a few inches taller now, than before the power burst… Her wrists had grown thinner, as well as her legs, waist and arms which were also more narrowed… longer, with more pronounced shoulders and less baby fat; her golden hair now with a bright silver shine to it that almost made it look white under a certain light.

All in all, she seemed to have grown older and more feminine overnight…

Indeed, it was strange. To his knowledge, humans didn't suddenly change like that.

_It was almost like looking at a different person…_

The Taiyoukai slightly shook his head to clear it of such trivial musings. Rather irrelevant happenings like these shouldn't be the ones to concentrate his attention at this time.

Turning back, he started to walk away, ready to leave her in the sole company of her lavender-haired partner, when a slight breeze that swept his hair, and his ears that caught a quiet sibilant whisper, caused his eyes to widen… stopping him in his tracks.

'_**Sesshoumaru…'**_

* * *

Meanwhile, away from there, Jaken was walking behind Kohaku who was busy looking for preys to hunt.

"I don't understand why I have to be here, watching this spawn of a demon exterminator, when we could have stayed in the cabin with Lord Sesshoumaru and let Rin go get her own food… It's not like the annoying human child doesn't know how" the toad demon mumbled as he followed after the silent taijiya.

"Sesshoumaru-sama surely must know what he's doing" Kohaku tried to lighten the mood "He probably wants Rin to be there when Usagi-san wakes up"

"Blegh, the annoying older human girl…" Jaken said with sentiment "I don't understand why we couldn't have left her right there where she fainted. What does Lord Sesshoumaru care if something happens to an inferior ningen female?"

"But I know that you care for Rin more than you're ready to admit" Kohaku told him, turning around to glance his way with a small knowing smile.

The servant youkai's eyes immediately squinted as if insulted. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, slayer" he told the boy in what was a perfect impersonation of the Inu Taiyoukai; pity that his master wasn't there to see his dedicated work of art.

Kohaku just nodded and shrugged.

'_He didn't jump and openly deny it, though' _he thought to himself with secret mischief, turning back to face the front now, since he had never stopped walking.

"…What do you think will happen once he gets to ask her the questions that he wanted?" he inquired after a while, curious about what would happen to the blonde young woman.

"We will be on our way, most surely" the green-skinned retainer replied "I don't think Lord Sesshoumaru has any more patience left for the other lavender-haired malevolence"

The boy then lowered his head in pity. _So they were really going to leave them behind…_

"They didn't seem so bad"

At this Jaken bristled.

"Do not tell me that you want those two to come with us, boy!" he exclaimed, detecting the reason for the slayer's newly upset mood "Sesshoumaru-sama would never stand for it! …We're not like Inuyasha's group! We don't know anything about them!!"

"You didn't know much more about me when you took me in, either" the young taijiya protested.

"That was different"

"How…? Because I have a shikon shard… is that it?" Kohaku reasoned.

"Of course not!!" the servant yelled in apparent outrage "My Lord couldn't care less about that measly jewel!"

"Then why…Mister Jaken? How else do you explain it?"

"It was because―" but Jaken could never finish that statement.

Because that was when they received an unexpected visitor…

"Well, well, well…see what we've got here" the raven haired detachment said as he got off of his paper plane "…Look who's stepped out of the holy barrier and come to play"

"…B-Byakuya!" the two non-gladly surprised followers of the Dog Demon seethed.

* * *

'_I could have sworn that she'd spoken' _back in the cabin, the Demon Lord mused as he once again found himself looking at the unconscious form with penetrating eyes.

However, he could clearly see that she hadn't. She had not even moved.

Talk about strange.

Sesshoumaru couldn't start to accept that he was hearing voices in his head… but that didn't mean that he would ask the lavender-haired boy either. For some reason, the prospect of asking _'Hey, did you hear something?'_ did not sit well with him.

Besides, he was **sure **that he'd heard her calling his name.

It had not been his imagination…

'_Still completely out of it… and she's able to tell that I am beside her? …Interesting' _

It seemed there _was _something special, after all, about this girl…

Sesshoumaru then allowed himself to smile viciously. He couldn't wait to see what other unordinary abilities she possessed; this _moon princess _as the demon with the mask had called her…_Whatever_ it was that he'd meant by that.

No matter what it took, he would get the upper hand, in the future match with the masked youkai.

...That was when he felt his servant Jaken's signal...

**To Be Continued.**


	42. Unexpected

_Disclaimer: If I owned Sailor Moon and/or Inuyasha, I wouldn't be posting this here… I'd be making a new anime crossover series and become even more rich and famous (winks). _

Chapter Forty One.

'Unexpected'

That was when he heard it, Jaken's signal: a loud stentorian yell from the Old Woman's head in the staff that he carried.

"Rin, go outside and stay with Ah-Un".

…It was a detachment; if it'd been Naraku, the one to yell would have been the Old Man's head instead. Still, he was curious about what the incarnation wanted, in case they weren't stupid enough to ignore that he wouldn't stay far to let them, whoever they were, to take the taijiya's jewel shard.

Once he saw that his ward had obeyed, he turned back to look at the unconscious girl's lavender haired, blue clad partner with calm assessing eyes.

Frightened by that intense look, Aku began to worry.

"W-wha-what!?" he was actually afraid to ask. "…What did I do?!"

Apparently, he was right to be too, since right after he stuttered that word, he watched how the Demon Lord summoned his green energy whip.

"WAIT! No!!! What are you going to do?!!!!" He cowered seeing the Taiyoukai approach him. He couldn't add anything else because when he saw that he shoot his whip at him, cause he instantaneously doubled over as he awaited certain death…

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Aku allowed himself to scream like a girl. _'I **knew** it! I knew he was out for my skin!' _Lifting his arms to his head, he tried to shield himself and wait for the pain to strike.

…A pain that never came. Just something tight that wrapped around his wrists and ankles, slamming them together and swiping him off the floor. Popping one cautious eye open, the shocked half-youkai saw that the energy whip hadn't killed him, just handcuffed him and left him hanging upside down by hands and feet from the ceiling in a very awkward, undignified position; bouncing like a sack of potatoes.

'_Grrrrrrrrr' _He immediately glared at Sesshoumaru.

"I've made a little adjustment to the whip so that the poison doesn't connect with your flesh unless you try to break it… so I suggest you don't try to escape" the Inu Lord told him "I've never tried to keep prisoners before, so you'll have to excuse my lack of experience"

"Oh no; you're doing fine, I assure you…" Aku said sarcastically as he continued to swing about from the momentum. The Taiyoukai quirked an eyebrow.

"You better both be here when I get back"

And with a flip, he was gone.

_He never saw that, while he and the 'prisoner' were talking, the golden haired girl's eyes had snapped open._

* * *

"Arrrgh! _Enough!_" Byakuya shouted, covering his ears the same as Kohaku while Jaken produced another infernal yell with his Staff "I am not here to attack you!"

"HA! Like I would believe you, Naraku spawn!" the toad demon countered, preparing to send another tortuous signal.

"If you dare to make that god awful sound again, I'll break your staff in half!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Jaken… that is enough"

"My Lord!" the servant youkai instantly bowed, stepping back. The Taiyoukai narrowed his eyes at the newcomer.

"What do you want, Byakuya?"

The raven haired detachment smirked.

"Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru; straight to the point as always" he nodded curtly "I am glad to see that your group's survived the weather catastrophe weeks ago. Isn't it horrible? …How you can't even trust Nature's proper functioning these days?"

Finding himself agreeing to that statement, the Taiyoukai also nodded civilly. The incident days prior _had_ been a mystery after all, despite other circumstances.

"Hai… though I doubt that the wellbeing of my pack's been the sole reason for your coming" he noted. "Why are you here, detachment? Have you been sent by your Master?"

"As a matter of fact, he is not aware of this little visit" the incarnation reckoned "I'm afraid I can't stay long; otherwise he might order me to retrieve the boy's jewel shard… at the expense of my life"

Sesshoumaru's eyebrows furrowed.

"I take it you've begun doubting your situation?"

"In actuality, yes; the questionable disappearance of yet another one of us in a battle with your half-brother has proven to be very much …enlightening"

"Inuyasha has killed another one of your kin?" the Demon Lord stared at him, and Byakuya sighed.

"We don't even know" he admitted dejectedly, glancing down "She just…disappeared. We don't know what could have happened to her… the cataclysm has made Naraku unsettled; it's changed everything"

"How so?"

"He is different… Naraku's lost something rather valuable during the cataclysm… and he doesn't like it"

"So, you're afraid he might take his anger out on you?" the Demon Lord tilted his head, sounding amused. _He could clearly see this obviously terrified detachment 'attempting' to follow Kagura's example. _"And… what can I do for you?" he offered promptly, wanting to see if the incarnation would confirm his thoughts.

Catching the undertone, Byakuya's black eyes returned to the Taiyoukai, as he readily composed himself. "Oh, that's generous of you, Sesshoumaru-sama…but I'm afraid not even you can do anything of use at the moment; with the exception, _perhaps_" he rushed to say when he saw Sesshoumaru's gaze darken "of keeping the taijiya boy" he gestured to Kohaku "right there where you are at all times"

"I…see" the Inu Lord frowned, watching the incarnation intently as it got back on his paper plane.

"Oh, and Lord Sesshoumaru" Byakuya added, turning around one last time before his paper plane ascended "if you happened to find a blonde haired certain _something_ on your stroll in the forest during the cataclysm… I suggest you keep _that _to yourself as well… For it is certainly what Naraku's looking for" he finished cryptically, flying away…

…Leaving the Demon Lord to crease his eyes in wonder.

* * *

"Usagi-sama?" the blue-clad boy asked again, watching as she slowly sat up and massaged her forehead.

"Aku…"

"_Usagi-sama!_" the half-youkai exclaimed happily "I'm so glad you're okay! I was starting to fear you'd never come to!" he heard her groan then.

"…Where are we?"

"In a cabin, I think"

"Huh?" turning to glance at him, her eyes widened "Aku?! _What are you doing hanging like that from the ceiling?_"

If she wasn't so damn dizzy, she would have found it comical...

"I'm a _prisoner_" the young detachment snorted, angry at being reminded this way "and so are you, I believe" he gestured towards her with his head.

The girl covered her mouth with a hand.

"…Prisoners? Of whom?" she inquired, almost afraid to ask. _Had enemies from her time already managed to find her?!_

"Sesshoumaru's" Aku ground out "but he doesn't seem to want to treat you as roughly as he does me" he continued with a grudge "Just because I'm not a woman --"

"―Or merely because you've proven to be more of an annoyance" a cold voice finished his statement.

Instantly, both heads whipped around to gaze at the door in rather bafflement, startled at the interruption that was unexpected.

It was that moment where sparkling blue eyes met shinning golden.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" the shocked blonde whispered.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: There, she's awake… And the plot thickens, TRULY! Finally! **


	43. Separated

_Disclaimer: No no no… I already said I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon, remember?_

Chapter Forty Two.

'Separated'

"Sesshoumaru…" the blonde girl repeated in another whisper "you are really here…" _It had been no dream._

The Demon Lord noticed that she'd said it not in fear, but in wonder. The two only continued looking at each other.

"Uh…" Aku looked from one to the other and back again, uncomfortable with the silence "Usagi-sama?" As if just remembering his presence, the Taiyoukai approached the hanging male and with a flick of his wrist, released him from his binding, dropping him to the floor, never taking his assessing stare from the girl. "Ouch!" the detachment stood rubbing his sore butt and glaring once more at the Inu Lord "You could have done it less harshly, you know?" but he was once again ignored.

"Well look who's back from the dead" Jaken sneered, peering at them from the door.

"Jaken"

"My Lord?"

"Quiet"

"Yes… My Lord" the little youkai bowed ashamed, scurrying into the room with no more words.

Sesshoumaru's eyes returned to her then. "So, you are finally awake"

"…Finally?" she echoed questioningly.

"Usagi-sama, you've been out for more than a week and a half" Aku explained gazing down at her worried as he went to kneel beside her "are you sure you're alright?"

"You" the Demon Lord gave him a sideway glance.

"My name is Aku" he supplied, only to be dismissed.

"Be silent"

"Um" _'who does he think he is, anyway' _Aku thought, scowling, whereas Usagi stared on, not quite understanding what was going on. _Why was Sesshoumaru-sama treating her companion this way?_

"You girl……what is your name?"

"Huh?" she blinked. As natural as that question was, there were now thousands of possible answers. She took a deep breath.

"My name… is Usagi" she responded at last, settling for the one that would bring the less misunderstanding.

Taking notice of her reaction, Sesshoumaru was certainly frowning.

"_Usagi_, heh? …What about 'Serenity'?" He heard the girl gasp with widened eyes.

"Eh! How do you know about that?!"

"It's what the masked youkai called you"

"…Usagi-sama?" an intrigued Aku asked, for he had also heard him call her that. _'Masked youkai?' _the girl repeated in her mind; it suddenly looked as if she'd become lost in her own little world _'is he talking about… that man…I'd forgotten all about him' _she thought dejectedly.

He was another threat she would have to watch out for.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. "Yes, he did call me that" Feeling she was delaying the answer to his question, the Demon Lord's face darkened.

"I want to know why"

She stared at him back. "Why? …Why would you want to know about that? The last time we met, Sesshoumaru-sama, you didn't want to have anything to do with me" she asked, not in reprimand but still in a dazed state of genuine confusion.

The Western Lord scowled at that, no longer calm since he'd already been waiting for a week and a half.

"Woman, your power bursts affected the Fang of Heaven so much, they ended _breaking_ my Tenseiga" he hissed with impatience "one of my enemies and another, a potential one, have both come after you in a short span of time; this makes it quite apparent that the two events are connected in a plan to leave this Sesshoumaru powerless… You _will _tell me who you are…!" the threats in his tone made Usagi flinch and jump back.

"Fang of Heaven? …T-Tenseiga???" she uttered in fear that he might strangle her, like the first time they'd seen each other.

"My sword" he threw the broken weapon at floor in front of her, seething in rage "Tenseiga"

'_Oh' _for some reason,the sight of the two separate pieces of the Sword of Heaven was what finally made her hit with realization. She suddenly had an idea of all that her power could have done when gone wild.

"I'm… sorry…" she apologized

"Sorry doesn't cut it, wench!" Jaken complained then.

"_Hey_! How _dare _you call her that!" Aku growled murderously. "_Enough!_" they all looked at Sesshoumaru, who was positively livid.

He turned back to Usagi after a while "Why does that masked youkai want to kill you, girl, and why does Naraku seek you out?" None of them noticed Aku's sharp intake of breath.

"Naraku?" the blonde echoed startled, but composed herself fast.

"You and your partner will remain captured until I find the reason" he informed in a no-nonsense warning tone.

Usagi's gloved hands fisted.

…Would all her encounters with this creature always, _always_ be like that?

"I've…already told you. I do not know who he is" she told him very seriously, forming a frown of her own as she got up slowly to look him in the eye, wanting him to see that she was being sincere. She never heard Aku's small gasp.

She wasn't going to back down.

"I've never met anyone with that name" she said once more, confronting him with newfound solemnity, wanting him to see that she was no longer going to allow herself be intimidated.

_She'd already seen so much _

"Those two people that you say; if they are indeed in seek of me, then their motives are a mystery to me as well"

"…Then, you might not leave this place alive" he ground out, testing her to see if she was being truthful.

That was when, despite her attempts to retrain herself, her aura surged out burning all around her, flaring to life in a burst of pink and silver.

She could not help it. With her powers no longer sealed inside, it was bound to be like this from now on when someone went and managed to her mad.

"_Whoa!?!_" Aku exclaimed, managing to leap away from her in time. Usagi-sama had _holy _powers?! However, they were not attempting to purify him.

"I will not concede that you hurt him!" he heard the blonde haired female shout. However, when he glanced at her and the Taiyoukai, he noticed they were looking weirdly and intently at each other. Sesshoumaru's own demonic red aura had inherently risen to hers, yet the two auras were not clashing, they were… mingling?

'_Are they …tasting each other's powers?!'_ Though the two of them did seem astonished by their auras' reaction as he and Jaken watched them amazed.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

"Usagi-sama?!!"

'_Her aura is… …soothing' _Sesshoumaru thought privately, truly aghast as the two powers embraced one another, trying tolook for the right way to describe what was happening _'even though she's angry, there's no…real hatred; her powers are somewhat holy, but they're not acting quite like a miko's… they're… warmer and non-threatening… They don't seem to want to get in battle with mine'_, he gave an involuntary shiver when another wave of her power touched him _'It's actually making me feel… stronger…? …Does she even know that her aura gives off like that?'_

Looking at her forehead, he saw the crescent moon mark glowing.

That symbol…

Could their powers have come; been born of the same origin?

_Outrageous! _He did not have anything in common with a human! Yet despite his best attempts to summon his old inner fury, he found that he couldn't.

All he found that he could feel right now was an appeasing…_serenity…_

_Hn. _

It seemed her name truly suited her well, after all.

Summoning his power back, he saw that hers had retreated as well, and that she almost looked disconcerted at what she'd just done.

_That made the two of them_

"I do not like to repeat myself; I will not allow you to go free" he told her smiling cruelly and with a finite tone, intrigued at what she might do now, if she'd dare to try and defy him, and a certain message was passed between their gazes.

_He would take his compensation if it meant their lives. _Whatever it was that he wanted with her, the young woman reasoned, it was probably best to keep her half-breed friend out of this mess while she attempted to fix it.

"I know" she sighed breathlessly, sapphire orbs once again closing "But if you're looking for the one responsible for what happened to your sword, I think I am the only one…so I only ask for you to let Aku go"

"U-Usagi-sama?!" the lavender haired detachment began to stare at her in shock.

She noted that she'd caught his interest."Let him go" she said again "let him go… and I will stay here out my own free will" her big blue eyes met with his as she attempted to make a bargain "Please"

"NO! What are you saying, Usagi-sama?! I'm not leaving without you!" However, her newly resolute gaze never wavered from the royal Inu demon's face, and neither did his, from hers.

That was the first time he truly _looked _into her eyes, and he felt they somehow managed to touch something unknown inside him. He immediately felt as if he _couldn't _not give into those pools of sparkling blue…

Humph, ridiculous.

"Humph, very well; but you girl, are going to come with this Sesshoumaru's pack for a while" he turned around to leave the house. "_My Lord?!_" Jaken cried out appalled as he moved to the side to let him pass. Seconds later, with a bit of hesitant resolve, the blonde picked up the broken sword before the detachment's bewildered face and went to follow.

Both the toad and incarnation saw them walk out the door.

"Rin, Kohaku, mount on Ah-Un, we're leaving"

"Wha-wha- what?! _Usagi-sama!?_" Aku chorused, running after they'd exited the hut. "You can not leave with him!" he directed his next question to the Dog Youkai "Where are you taking her?!"

"That is not of your concern"

"It's okay, Aku" she paused trying to give him a reassuring smile, despite the fact that she was a bit shaken.

"No! I will not let you go with him alone!" he didn't pay any heed to the way Sesshoumaru's profile turned to glare at him from the corner of his eye. "Even if he kills me right here, you're not going! …_I don't trust him!!_"

"I do not think he really intends to hurt me"

He pouted at her sadly. "You're too trusting for your own good, Usagi-sama"

'_He is right'_ the Inu Lord mused.

The blonde put a hand on the detachment's shoulder. "I'll be alright…I promise"

"But-but- BUT! What am I- what am I going to tell _Niraya-sama??!!_"

She let out a breath sadly at the mention of her former 'guardian'. _She'd had no chance to say goodbye_ "That I can protect myself, and not to worry"

'…_Can she now?' _doubted the Taiyoukai.

"Demo…I can't accept this!" the boy immediately snapped shut when she put a finger over his mouth. Sesshoumaru didn't know why this bothered him so much. "Will I-- will I see you again?"

Instead of responding, Aku felt her kiss one of his cheeks and blushed lightly.

"Till next time" she breathed out as if she were making some kind of an oath, vowing that they would see each other another time.

'_Hmph. Humans' _the Dog Youkai mentally drawled, going to them to interrupt the sentimental conversation. "Girl, can you fly?"

"Wha--?! I -a-I…I don't know" she shifted to him with flustered perplexity, probably not having thought about that at all. _Truth was, she didn't know which of her powers were active now and which were not._

The Demon Lord would have rolled his eyes.

Acting in a flash, he suddenly made a grab for her, picking her up under his arm as if he were carrying a dirty, flea-bitten animal.

"Eep!" the embarrassed blonde cried out.

What had she gotten herself into?!

'_The utter indignity of the situation' _both carrier and carried ironically thought at once.

"Put her down!" her scandalized blue-clad friend immediately tried to go to girl's rescue. Looking away, the Taiyoukai began to walk off, apparently ignoring him. "My Lord! Wait for me my Lord!" the green skinned servant yelled as he ran to catch up, getting a hold of the end of his master's pelt before he left without him.

"Why don't you just carry the slayer kid around and let her ride on the dragon with the child?!" the incarnation didn't want to give up.

"Because" the Demon Lord stated in irritation but did not pause "I don't intend to chase after her in case she happens to be able to fly and she's being dishonest about it"

"She's not!" Aku argued, only to be ignored once more.

He could only watch as the Demon Lord took off, followed by his ward and the taijiya on the two-headed dragon…taking his blonde friend away, without him; knowing he couldn't do anything about it.

His heart sank.

"Till the next time… … … …Usa…"

**To Be Continued. **

**A/N: Longer chapter how's that?**

**IMPORTANT: Beginning from one of the next posts to come, the following chapters might be posted as a different entry/story, titled "Breath (PART II)" while this is labeled "Breath (PART I)"… It might start with the next chapter, or the next, or the one to follow… so don't take the alerts out (in case you have one) and check my profile for news about this story. I'll still be the same story, what do you think of it? Should I keep posting all the future chapters in this story, or start another one as the "second part"? I warn you… this story's got A LOT to go before it runs out…**

**I would really like to hear your advice.**


	44. Spiritual

_Disclaimer: I do not own "Inuyasha, a Feudal Fairy Tale" or "Beautiful Soldier Sailor Moon"._

Chapter Forty Three.

'Spiritual'

As they kept flying and flying away, Usagi couldn't help but think of Aku with a clenched heart. She hadn't meant to leave them; he, Tsumi and Niraya-sama, but she really had had no other option.

'_And I couldn't ask Aku about Kanna…' _she thought with regret. All she could ever hope was for the white haired detachment to be alright, wherever she was.

Thinking about the albino void child, on the other hand, had reminded her of something else… Usagi turned to look at her own hair.

Taking a few tresses between her fingers, she noted how they'd become thinner, longer. All in all her hair had become so long, thin and abundant that it gained natural slight waves at the ends, no longer as straight as she'd once had it.

Just like last time.

The color was still blonde, she noted with relief, but had turned such a lighter blonde, it was closer to white.

She gave a dejected sigh. "Almost silver…it's happening again" she quietly breathed out. The Taiyoukai glanced down at her questioningly from the corner of his eye; she must have thought he couldn't hear her, but he had.

No matter, he thought; he had plenty of time to interrogate her later, so he went to comment on another thing instead.

"Your friend is right, you're far too trusting"

"I know" it sounded almost as if she'd been expecting his words "though it is by choice"

The statement intrigued him. "How so?"

"I want to believe in everyone… that everyone has hope. Have faith in the inner goodness of people…that no matter where it may lay hidden, it is always possible to start over"

He snorted. "You are naïve"

"May be" she closed her eyes.

"You are also being hypocritical" he went on, looking on ahead as if indifferent, but not wanting to let the matter go "girl, was it not you who called this Sesshoumaru an 'evil sick creature' a few moons ago?"

The reference made her gasp.

"I am sorry, Sesshoumaru" the lack of honorific made him glance down, and he watched that she suddenly looked sad. "I was so rude to you that time…My head was full of confusion and fear, I said such nasty things"

His eyes widened slightly, he hadn't been expecting that. But he composed himself fast, lifting his head back. "Don't be foolish"

"Huh?" this time she was the one to look up.

"It's in the past" he didn't know why he said this, or what he meant by it, but he did. He wasn't heartless.

Usagi's eyes shinned and she nodded, giving him a warm, rather affectionate smile.

"Hai"

They both kept silent for a while.

…Listening to Jaken's snoring on his pelt. The blonde stared back at him feeling envious. Rin and Kohaku were already in deep slumber on the two-headed dragon.

"You can sleep if you want"

"Huh?" she lifted her head again to look at Sesshoumaru. He didn't turn to look down at her though, his gaze still lost ahead.

"You were unconscious for almost two weeks; I could feel your body undergoing some sort of transition process. You must be tired"

_He noticed. _The girl blinked. "Will um, will it be alright with you?"

"I'm used to staying hours without sleep; unlike humans"

"Oh" she murmured, and then gave a little yawn "Well then, thank you. I think I will" she accommodated as best as she could in her awkward position under his arm, unconsciously snuggling closer to him, seeking warmth.

"Good night, Sesshoumaru" she began to doze off.

Minutes later, she was asleep. The Demon Lord again glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Strange girl…

…Strange girl indeed.

Wordlessly, he and Ah-Un continued to fly towards the setting sun in the horizon, three humans and a toad youkai resting trustingly on their hands.

* * *

"**What news do you bring me, Byakuya?" in another place, a dark haired hanyou was asking.**

"**She was not with them, at least I didn't see her" the raven haired detachment answered "There's still a possibility that she's being retained by the Taiyoukai, Naraku-sama"**

**The Hanyou Lord's face darkened. "Tsumi…have you checked Kaede's village? She did not return?"**

"**No, the villagers seem very stricken with her disappearance" the lavender haired, purple and red eyed female answered. "We're positive she is not there" **

**Naraku scowled with utter displeasure.**

"**Very well, you may go, but keep in watch just in case" he observed as the two incarnations left the chamber.**

**His eyes flashed... He was angry.**

"**You better not have put your hands on her again, Sesshoumaru" he snarled "or that little girl that you love so much will undoubtedly pay the price"**

'**_Just be patient Usagi… I WILL find you…'_**

**However, his eyes shinned brightly as he thought another plan.**

* * *

"Ne, Inuyasha, you have really to work on your attitude" Kagome admonished in a motherly voice "You shouldn't have treated that poor man like that"

"Heh, he had it coming" the hanyou grunted "he shouldn't have said that _I _was an evil spirit sent from hell to cause another cataclysm"

"You're right, Inuyasha" Miroku agreed "but you have to admit it was funny when he thought you were a centipede demon"

"I don't know what you guys find so funny" the hanyou glared "I don't and will never have anything in common with those thousand legged pests! Peasants like him should really get their facts straight!"

"You really don't have anything in common with the centipedes, Inuyasha? I thought your face has met the ground just as many times as them!" Shippo exclaimed all serious. A vein popped on the half-breed's forehead.

"Shippo, you airhead, I thought I told you not to crack any joke on that!" he threw a punch on the distracted kistune's head.

"Inuyasha, SIT!" Kagome flared up in anger.

"Hehehe! See my point, Inuyasha?"

"Shippo! That was not nice" the girl from the future reprimanded, making the fox cub pout.

"I'm sorry, Kagome"

"I think she meant you should be apologizing to Inuyasha, Shippo-chan"

"_Ugh_. I … I… I… ImsorryInuyasha!" he babbled in a flash. Kagome couldn't help but grin.

"That's a good little boy" she patted him on the head, inadvertently in the same tender place where Inuyasha had pummeled him over.

"Kagome, that hurts!"

"Ah! Sorry!"

"Hey guys, we better hurry up if we want to get to Kaede's village before nighttime" Miroku announced as he pointed to the last sunshine of the sunset.

* * *

Minutes later, they were all comfortably seated in Kaede's hut.

"That is right, Kaede-sama" Miroku, the Buddhist monk said "We came here all this way to ask you if you happen to know the cause for the cataclysm"

"I understand "the withered old lady said "But I'm afraid that I don't Miroku-sama" she shook her head "ever since that day, we're not sure what could have caused it and the event's remained as nothing but a mystery"

"Please tell us, Kaede-baba" intervened Kagome "if you have any hypothesis, any ideas or if you noticed something odd before it happened; that cataclysm… that cataclysm does not figure on the books of history in the future that I consulted"

"Which is the reason we think it may have something to do with Naraku. Actually, at the moment of the cataclysm we were fighting one of his incarnations, a mirror youkai, and she disappeared completely after the debacle… We find all that to be very suspicious"

"As a matter of fact, something strange did happen… though I doubted it could have anything to do with this. She's…not that kind of monster"

"Huh?!" the five members of the group chorused, whereas Kirara mewled.

Kaede lowered her eyes.

"It's just… one of our people went missing; not truly one of our people, really, but someone we had come to love as our own"

"…Kaede-sama? Who is this 'she'?" Kagome questioned. The old lady sighed.

"Her name was Usagi… she had come to the village days prior claiming to be the daughter of a priest and that she'd lost her memory… She requested training on the ways of the miko; she was such a sweet child…I couldn't deny her"

"Miko?" Sango repeated "what could Naraku possibly have to do with someone wanting to train as a miko?"

"If you brought it up, Kaede, there must be a reason" Inuyasha prompted "out with it already" his brashness made Kagome frown.

"Inuyasha…"

"He is right" the aged priestess interjected "there is a reason. Usagi is… _was_ the most powerful person with spiritual powers I've met in my life"

…At this rather drastic statement, all heads turned to her gasping, wanting to know what she was talking about…

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: I'll be going on a vacation for a few days so obviously this story won't be updated for a while. This is why I've posted three chapters in a row, to keep you guys entertained and happy. (Pleasing smile) You can't say I am not considerate. (laughs)**

**Just remember to read the author's note at the end of the previous chapter, the one that discusses the possibility of posting the following chapters as a separate story labeled "Breathless (PART II)" (NOT "Breath (PART II)", sorry, my bad) not as a sequel but as a separate part so this story doesn't end a hundred chapters long… I've already heard some of your opinions, but I wouldn't mind hearing some more! (winks)**

**Happy soon-to-be Easter! And till the next post.**


	45. Prayer

_Disclaimer: Sigh… Haven't you learned by now? Inuyasha and Sailor Moon are not mine!!! _

Chapter: Forty Four.

'Prayer'

It was dawn the following day when the Demon Lord and his discreet dragon companion descended from their flights and touched land again. Most of their charges were still asleep, though it was not very long after that the small demon retainer woke up, in time to peer at his master as he deposited the human with the strange outfit on a particularly thick patch of grass that served the likes of a comfortable bed, carefully.

Too carefully for his taste.

He observed as the Demon Lord stood straight and looked down at the sleeping female with intent.

The servant gave a sour look of his own.

_'Poor Sesshoumaru-sama has had to deal with this human and her friend enough already, trying to discern the enemies' plans…At least, he's finally been able to get rid of the lavender haired menace. I'm sure his very pleased about that' _

* * *

Meanwhile, as if unaware of Jaken's pious stare, Sesshoumaru's train of thought was going a different path. As he stood in his own pensiveness, he recalled why it was that he was staring down at the girl so intently.

She was still holding the broken pieces of the Sacred Fang between her arms. Like she wasn't afraid they'd cut through her fragile skin… almost as if she knew, or thought that she knew the sword would never hurt her.

And, as if agreeing with the sleeping girl's implied statement, the two parts of the Sword of Heaven were softly pulsing in synch with her heartbeat.

He'd felt it'd been doing it for the entire time that she was asleep.

_'Even broken, Tenseiga seems almost content to be in her arms…' _

Somehow, when he'd turned around and exited the house the day before, back at the cabin, he hadn't cared for retrieving the Fang, already knowing his retainer would do it without need for being told, once he noticed he'd left it there on the floor.

The toad was _usually_ that kind of a loyal, thoughtful servant; nothing surprising about that.

No. What'd been surprising, though, was that _she _would be the one to pick it up first before she went to follow him out of the house. He hadn't been truly testing her faithfulness to their bargain when he walked away, but the fact that she'd confirmed it so subtly was something, if may be not totally unexpected, a bit disconcerting in the humble way that she'd carried it out.

And then there'd been the way she'd fallen asleep under his arm…without a care for the world, for _him_… And he'd just _let _her.

The Demon Lord furrowed his golden gaze, attempting to figure out the reason for that; for that small favor… It'd been the fact that he'd decided to accept her apology this time.

But why… what had been different about her apology the last time? Had the transition she'd undergone weeks prior been the cause for him changing his mind? …The fact that he now knew that she had some certain power? He almost growled.

He wasn't one to be biased by that kind of occurrence.

_…Then… … why…? _

He should show her things hadn't changed at all, that she should still be wary of him.

He should make sure she made a realization of that.

Thus, why was it then that a small insolent voice, from deep inside, kept warning him that he should keep his distance, for the next time she looked at him with those large regret-filled eyes, he might once again feel that it wasn't important… for her stare would once again soothe him… …in the end.

…Like in those two previous times when he could have killed her: the first time they met, and the second time when they were… _arguing…_ back at the cabin.

He could have killed her then. Perhaps, he should have.

But he just, didn't.

_…Was Rin's almost recent death… what was affecting him this way…? _

…**_Compassion_**...

Again; that word.

And the pulsing sword; resting comfortably in her arms.

_'…Father, why… is this your message…?' _

Everything about the human girl was disconcerting. She never turned out quite they way he thought her out to be.

She was…

…**_Confusing_**

_'…Has it… been your doing, that this woman crosses paths so often with mine?'_

Why?

Was it about the manner in which she protected herself from her enemies? …By inspiring them into quenching their rage and their will to hurt? …It was a rather peculiar power that she apparently had; of bewitching her foes into her naïve sense of… was it, once again, _compassion_?

Such an intriguing miko; if that's what she really was.

However, he somehow doubted she'd possessed the soberness of mind at the time to actually try manipulating him on purpose, and he cursed himself for having gotten so close to a moment of weakness.

_'Woman… …what is it that Tenseiga senses about you?' _

* * *

Jaken frowned. His master had already been staring at her for too long.

He didn't like it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Jaken" he saw his master turn towards him.

"Milord?"

"We will set camp here till midday" The Inuyoukai told him, turning his gaze far away.

"Yes, milord" he watched as his master turned around the other way from where he was looking and walked off. Jaken watched him go… He began to realize there might be something wrong going on with his Lord…something he would not reveal out loud; however, he thought he'd realized what was going on Sesshoumaru-sama's mind.

_'…That wench is nothing but a difficulty; I wish milord is able to also get rid of her very soon' _

* * *

Miles from there, back at the village, Kaede was still looking at the horizon where she'd just seen Inuyasha, Kagome and their friends disappear. They had decided to part the day after they'd stayed the night, and the priestess hoped with all of her heart they were able to find her…

Flashback

_"Consort of the Land of the Star of Crescent Shadow" Kagome repeated in a whisper, and then added aloud "I don't know what it means, but… it doesn't sound good…" _

_"Heh! Tell me about it" Inuyasha said as he roughly picked up a part of the elegant furisode that the old priestess had shown to them "you say she arrived wearing **this**?! It STINKS of Naraku and I'll bet my Tetsusaiga it's no coincidence she was wearing **his** colors!" he turned to the priestess irate "What is wrong with you, old hag?! You shouldn't have taken her in! So tell me; if she'd shown up wearing a baboon pelt, would you have suspected something?!" _

_"Inuyasha, SIT!" the command of the girl from the future was inevitable, and so was the loud crash that immediately followed after. _

_"Ack! What in the world was that for?!" _

_"Because it's someone dear to Kaede-baba you're speaking of" Kagome flared up "and you should be able to tell she is very worried! Besides, even if you're right, Kaede-baba had no possible way to know, so you shouldn't talk to her like that" _

_"Pfhmp!" _

_Deciding to concentrate on more pressing matters, Miroku took his attention from the pair to ask a rather relevant question. "So you're saying, that this person with strong untapped spiritual powers could be the one responsible for the cataclysm? Even if it could have been against her will?" _

_"I am certain something must have happened to her…"Kaede assented "I felt her aura cry out to me in grief for a moment… and then nothing." _

_"I thought it could have only been Naraku using the power of the complete Shikon no Tama, but we are not certain whether he's been able to get a hold of Kohaku's shard yet" Miroku reasoned with a nod. _

_"So the only way to know for sure…" Shippo started. _

_"…is to find Kohaku" the slayer finished for him with her eyes closed. _

_"Sango?" _

_"It's okay… That was what we were going to do before Kanna lured us into battle, wasn't it?" _

_"Sango is right; the cataclysm didn't leave any lasting effects, so nothing's really changed" Inuyasha stated while getting up from his crater and standing up. "Whether it was that Usagi girl or Naraku that caused the cataclysm, the circumstances are the same for us and our goal is still the same" _

_"Inuyasha…?" a dubious girl from the future mumbled. _

_"He has a point, Kagome-sama" the monk interjected "We know actually too little about the cataclysm and this spiritual woman in particular to be pointing any fingers, so the only way we can really help Kaede-sama here is to get back to our quest as soon as we can and see what we find out" _

_"It's the only way we can ever know if Naraku, the battle with Kanna, the cataclysm and this girl are related at all, Kagome" Sango agreed too. _

_"And if that Usagi-san is truly, as Kaede-baba thinks, like that warrior Suikotsu that you guys fought" the kitsune suggested all of a sudden "perhaps, if we find Naraku, we might even find her too!" _

_Everyone felt silent. _

_"Yes… you are right" Kagome said nodding and frowning with new resolve "if Kaede-baba's apprentice is being held by Naraku against her will, then I think we must do whatever we can to help her" _

_"Keh! If she truly is being held against her will, you mean" the inuhanyou piped in as he crossed his arms, sounding rather skeptic. _

_Kagome didn't respond anything to that. She knew he had a right to have his reservations. _

_"Whatever may be, we have to find Naraku, and the only way to find Naraku that we have is…through Kohaku" she sighed "I just hope he's alright and that scoundrel hasn't done him any harm" she tightened her risen fist and shut her eyes overwhelmed by the hatred. _

_"Sango…" Kagome whispered, sensing her friend's pain. _

_"If he did anything to your brother yet, Sango, we will make him pay" Inuyasha assured her. _

_"I am sure Kohaku is alright, Sango-chan… I know, I know Kikyo wouldn't have left him without a good protection" _

_"Huh, Kagome?!"· the slayer and the hanyou turned to look at her at the same time. _

_"I…I want to have faith in her" _

End Flashback

Kaede wanted to have faith in her sister too, and prayed Kagome was right.

"Onee-sama…" she whispered with veiled breath "…big sister, please protect them, let them find her…"

_'Let them find her... and let it all be alright'_

**To Be Continued. **


	46. Wrong

_Disclaimer: Inuyasha, Sailor Moon and all things related do not belong to me._

Chapter Forty Five.

'Wrong'

"_You think you can put a stop to this war, innocent one? Even if you did, it would just start all over; this war will go on forever!" Sailor Cosmos heard Sailor Chaos' holler, laughing from the darkness "I've existed since far long before the Seed of the Light grew and gave birth to countless stars, I will not be destroyed by it…Who are you to say what is right?" _

"_I'm not pretending to be the one holding the greater wisdom. If I ever did…I'm not… not anymore" the silver haired senshi said with a newfound look of solemnity "I just want to put an end to this suffering…this pain…the people of this universe do not deserve it"_

"_What makes you think, Cosmos, that you are in any way to be the judge of that?" she heard the being speak with a note of genuine interest._

"_Please. I just want peace, Chaos!" there were tears falling down her cheeks now._

"_Peace is not a part of my nature… just as War is not a part of yours" the darkness told her "we are what we are; the way we are…you know that. Don't you remember what the one you once called your mother once said, Serenity? If you show a tear to me, I might swallow you whole... Is that what you want, Child of the Light?"_

"_I- I've already cried from the inside, so many times… as I tried not to do so in the outside, each time that I faced you… I've struggled to keep up my faith" Cosmos told the darkness "but…is this truly to be our fate, Chaos?" she hugged herself "In the end…must we always hurt each other, unless we put an end to everything? The will, the wish of a sailor soldier is to fight till the battle is over…and then to wait till the next starts? If that is right- if that is our destiny, I… I hate this fate!"_

_She felt the darkness surround her like a caress, and whispered one last time._

"…_I really hate it!"_

---

The fair haired young female opened her eyes to the sound of the birds chirping. A two headed dragon was lying on the ground not far, with the two children on its back still asleep.

It was morning.

"It was…a dream…" she sighed, then sat up.

'_Chaos…'_

'_Why am I here… have you been the one, to send me here?__ Have you done this?'_

'_Or did I do this__ to myself?'_

'_Even though I know now who I am, I still can't remember…'_

Even though she knew who she was now, it didn't mean she knew or understood everything about herself completely: her memory was acting yet graciously selective. That dream she'd just had…she felt it was another memory. A memory of a conversation that she'd once had with Chaos. But… had it happened before, or after her time-travel to the Twenty First Century, when she was disguised as the tiny girl called 'ChibiChibi'?

…Everything was still so fuzzy.

"I don't know…what it is that I'm supposed to do now" she rubbed her once again aching head "I thought I heard Guardian Cosmos' voice in my mind, just yesterday, and then just silence…"

'_The only thing I know is that, if I use my powers, bad things might happen…' _her right hand collided with something lying by her on the grass and she turned her head to the side.

…_A sword…?_

"Tenseiga"

'_Sesshoumaru…'_

Usagi raised her eyes, and saw the Demon Lord standing not far, his gaze lost in his own musings once more. The blonde couldn't help but wonder what was troubling him.

She noticed that he had failed to take the broken Heavenly Sword from her when she was asleep…Was it a sign that he now saw her as someone he could begin to trust? She desperately wished for it to be so, even if she didn't know very well why.

May be, though, there was an obvious reason for that. "He's accepted my apology at last, and he's already helped me twice" she whispered. First, it was from the bandits; then, from that man named Shishinki. In spite of being unconscious, she'd still heard the masked man and the silver haired youkai talking, and knew that since she hadn't dreamt the whole thing, Sesshoumaru had been in fact the reason Shishinki hadn't managed to finish her and Aku off then.

It was when she realized "…I didn't even thank him for the second time he saved my life…"

"He doesn't expect to be thanked for the good deeds he's done, because Sesshoumaru-sama doesn't consider them as completely selfless acts on his part" a voice told her from behind her, as if reading her mind. The blonde turned around, surprised.

"Rin-chan!?" Her heart beat faster. Apparently… sometime between her own musings, the little girl had woken up. Usagi gave her a hopeful glance as she saw her walking closer to where she was. Since she was still under her sailor transformation, she didn't know if the child was going to be able to see she was the same person as Usagi.

Yet, here little Rin was.

"Miss?"

"…Yes?"

"I've been wanting to ask you something?" she said timidly, catching all of the blonde's attention "Jaken-sama says Sesshoumaru-sama said you're someone I met once…but you look a bit different. Are you really her? Are you…" she held her breath "…Usagi-san?"

She hadn't finished the sentence when the older girl already felt her heart go out for the small child. She didn't, hadn't known Rin had actually been told who she really was! Let alone suspected that the cause why she hadn't talked to her yet could ever be because the child was gathering up her courage to ask her if she was who they said she was.

Her gaze was immediately overcome with the love she'd began to hold especially for this sweet, pure hearted child.

"…Is it really you?"

Knowing Rin would be able to see the real her despite the sailor transformation if she _truly_ wanted to, Usagi gave a smile and nodded.

"Hai" giving her that loving look, the blonde slowly reached out to the little girl with a welcoming hand.

Rin immediately recognized the smile…the same big blue eyes, which even though a bit different now, they still held the same shape and kindness that'd become imprinted in her memory the first time they'd met each other. Rin's own brown pair grew large; as far as she knew, no one else that she knew of could have had those beautiful blue eyes.

"Usagi-san!" the little girl returned the smile and immediately ran to her arms "_it really is you!!_ Master Jaken and Sesshoumaru-sama were right!!!" she hugged the older girl still with a smile on her face "I'm so happy I could see you again!"

"Thank you, Rin-chan… I am happy that I got to see you again, too" Usagi returned the hug tight. _'I thought for a while there I wasn't going to… To be able to see this child whose warmth reminds me so strikingly of those that I lost…'_ she thought as an unnoticed lone tear escaped from one of her closed eyelids.

Neither of the two realized that Sesshoumaru was standing near them, watching.

Watching them, the Demon Lord was feeling something strange in his gut, as if he'd been guilty of separating a mother from her child. _'Nonsense…they are not related' _Sesshoumaru thought to himself. "Rin" he called as he walked towards them.

The little girl let go of her hold on the older one to look up at her guardian. "Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Go help Jaken set the camp"

"Ok. See you later…? Usagi-san…?" she asked the blonde with her eyes if she would be there when she returned. Usagi smiled.

"Hai" she watched the little girl run towards the grumbling green toad starting a fire not very far. "She is such a sweet little one" she told the Taiyoukai.

"Stay away from her"

"Huh?" she gasped, glancing up at his profile.

"You are a prisoner for the time being, I don't want you indulging yourself with my ward"

The young woman lowered her eyes, disappointed "…I see"

'_He still doesn't trust me after all'_

"Woman" he turned his face away from her as she raised her eyes back to look at the fire "…What is the meaning of your crescent moon sigil?"

He heard her hold her breath and knew she'd been dreading that question.

"I'm sorry Sesshoumaru-sama… I can not tell you…" she said with her eyes back down and then turned her head away "Even if I could, I might be putting all of you in danger, and I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to any of you because of that"

"This Sesshoumaru doesn't need for your pitiful attempts at protection" he told her in an acidic drawl "Or is it that you're just avoiding the question"

Glancing down at her sitting form from the corner of her eye, he saw her give a bittersweet smile, her eyes closing yet again. "Perhaps you're right" her tone revealed resignation and defeat, and he would have sneered at her for it.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to… I don't really care" he didn't know why the statement sounded so familiar, till he recalled that he'd already used that exact phrasing once.

"It…-It hurts me to hear you say something like that" the sentence said in a somewhat wavering voice made him stop in his tracks as he'd already started leaving her side. "I had thought… after you accepted my apology I had thought that we―" she could never finish her statement, for before the last words were out of her mouth a blur of white had come to her at full speed, yanking her to her feet by the arm and pushing her back a few steps.

"What?" he growled at her "that we what?"

"Ah!?" the unexpectedness of this 'attack' rendered her speechless.

"What…did you think about us?" the look he was giving her was positively frightening.

"T-That w-we…! That we could become…friends…" she stuttered, growing panicked and trying not to make him angrier, for she recalled she'd already learned the hard way he could get quite violent if he wanted, though she was genuinely shocked by this reaction and still out of breath from the unexpected impact and the warning bells in her head at the aggressive change he'd undertaken, all of which encouraging in her a state of rising adrenaline.

"Friends? …I do not wish to be _your friend_" he snarled in a tone laced with contempt, spitting the last words like venom, causing her eyes to grow wider with hurt. "Do not make such mistake" She could also feel his claws digging into her arm, but she found she couldn't feel the pain, so great was the way his words made her upset, her panic and disorientation…

For the life of her, she could not understand what she could have done that could have set him off this time. After the more amicable way in which he'd spoken to her at the end of the day before, his current attitude was utterly incomprehensible. _Why was he acting this way once more?!_

"Stop it! You're hurting me!"

"…Then fight back"

"…Wha?"

"Fight me…if it hurts you, throw me off of you. Don't you have the power to defend yourself, human?" he asked in genuine interest.

"I…-!"

_He wanted her to use her powers!?_

"Fight me"

"…Why?"

"Do it"

"…No"

She saw his golden eyes suddenly flickering from her eyes to the crescent moon on her forehead, then back to her eyes and then to her mouth, where they lingered for a while.

"…Sesshoumaru?" she asked after a long moment of silence.

He did not answer, still staring at her lips with half-lidded eyes as if absorbed.

The grip on her shoulder went slack.

"Sesshoumaru?"

Nothing. It was as if he'd fallen asleep standing.

Beginning to get worried, she studied his face searching for the cause of his paralysis, till she realized he wasn't looking at her face anymore, but at the blood on her arm.

She hadn't even noticed she'd started bleeding from his claws.

'_Was it…the reason that he stopped?'_she tried giving a good look at his shadowed features.

His face was a mask of stone.

Cold, hard, unreadable.

'_But, then…'_

'…_Then there is probably more to Sesshoumaru than meets the eye' _without really thinking, she reached up with a hand and tentatively touched the crescent moon marking on his own forehead in a soft caress.

She never foresaw the shared strike of electricity that was passed between them through her fingers, making both of their bodies freeze and their breaths catch…

She didn't know why this simple action did something to her gut that, despite her previously desolate state, overcame her quickened pulse suddenly with heat…or why it made her previously tense body gradually go lax; her eyes glowing brighter if ever possible.

When he looked up at her and their gazes met at last, she felt herself blushing… Something in that look had made some unknown buried emotion come alive with new fire.

Her hand dropped to her side…She was confused now more about her own body's reaction than about him. However, she didn't know if he realized this; the manner in which he was staring at her was difficult to interpret.

"You're lost as much as you lose this Sesshoumaru… aren't you" he said to her.

"…Wha…?"

And just like that, much like the first time they'd met, he let go of her completely and pulled away; her luminous stare once again filled with bewilderment.

"Next time you touch me like that, I'll cut off your hand"

"…Sesshoumaru-sama?!" a childlike voice unexpectedly cut through their 'altercation' of sorts; it was Rin, who'd come running followed by Jaken the moment she saw the commotion, whereas Kohaku stood there were he was with a mystified look. Rin was looking at the two of them with an expression of confusion on her face.

"Milord!" the toad cried as he caught up "Are you alright?! Did this impudent human disrespect you?"

"It is not of your business"

"_Milord!!??!_" Jaken could not believe his master would tell him off like that in front of some randomly known human. He only watched along with the females in astonishment as the Demon Lord turned from then and stalked off as was his style; what the three perplexed people didn't realize was that the Inuyoukai did hear the voice of his blinking ward addressing the older girl as he was leaving them behind him, as well as the answer that said girl gave her.

"U…Usagi-san?"

"I-It was nothing, Rin-chan" the blonde said despite of not understanding the recent situation either, turning to her with a nervous smile yet again completely shaken, though this time it was due to a swirl of contradicting emotions "…w-we were just discussing some adult things…" she tried to shrug it off.

But in the inside, she knew she had failed; even when she didn't know she and the Taiyoukai were currently thinking the same thing:

'_**What is… wrong with me?' **_

To Be Continued.

**A/N: ****I REALLY need to know what you thought of this chapter… I've had to rewrite it at least a dozen times! (Oo)**


	47. To Go back

_Dis__claimer: I don't own Inuyasha, a Feudal Fairytale, or Beautiful Soldier Sailor Moon. _

Chapter Forty Six.

'Go back'

It was a few hours later that Sesshoumaru was resting against a tree with his gaze shut, when he heard it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"What is it, Rin?" the Taiyoukai asked without lifting his eyelids.

"Can Rin speak with Usagi-san?" he heard the little girl ask timidly and with great ingenuousness "Jaken-sama told Rin that Usagi-san is a prisoner so she shouldn't talk to her anymore…" she flustered for a second when she noticed his brow furrowing slightly as the Inuyoukai opened his eyes to stare at her, then she became more subdued and fidgeted with her fingers, rather put off "…Rin won't do it if Sesshoumaru-sama says no"

With an imperceptible sigh, the Taiyoukai closed his eyes again. "…Do whatever you want" he tried to ignore the child's badly concealed small squeal of happiness.

"Yes, Sir!" he felt the wind caused by her quick movements as the little girl darted away from his side to run to the 'captive's side. …Sesshoumaru could almost, almost have sworn he'd felt a vein pop on his forehead at that moment.

He was rather curious about what it was about the older female that fascinated the child so much.

However, he already knew.

It'd take a dense subject not to know…

"_It hurts me to hear you say something like that" the sentence said in a somewhat wavering voice had made him stop in his tracks. _

He'd thought at first that it sounded like she might be trying to mock him. So he'd tried testing her.

"_After you accepted my apology I had thought that we-"_

Test if she was attempting to laugh in his face for what she had mistaken as 'softness'…

"…_I had thought that we could become friends…"_

But even if she hadn't been, she was a 'captive' overstepping her boundaries… she'd certainly had a punishment coming her way.

…What kind of fool did she take him for? He didn't want to get to _know her_; the mere idea was laughable and… obnoxious. All he wanted to know was what her relation to the Heavenly Sword was and to its intriguing reactions as of late, as well as Naraku and that masked demon, before sending her on her way.

That is, if she truly was just a pawn, as he'd thought, and didn't have anything substantial to do with all of this. That strange girl…

The body of a woman with the voice and face of a child… she was a walking contradiction; everything about her was deceiving.

She exuded youth… yet she was old enough to be considered an adult.

…Fragility. Yet she had shown she had some power of her own.

…And…

…Innocence.

He didn't want to hurt her in front of Rin.

That was it.

Actually.

The older girl was special in his ward's eyes; almost as much as the taijiya had apparently become. But she had acted as if she didn't have a reason to be scared of him any longer, and he had thought he should try to correct that. Though he'd realized disciplining his 'captive' too harshly in front of the child might not be a good idea…

He didn't get any satisfaction from hurting her, either.

On the other hand, he'd already tested and confirmed some of his suspicions for the time being concerning the girl's powers…She definitely possessed some sort of soothing aura about her.

…A miko's?

Sesshoumaru looked down at the bit of her blood that was still on his claws; there was no better way to know… He licked her blood off his claws, trying to ignore the unexpected shiver that the taste brought upon him. Definitely human blood, as he had thought… but, not quite?

Human blood had never made him feel so… …_**weird.**_

'_This is __stupid; she's just a weak submissive ningen'_

Mortal.

…Human…

The _nerve_ of that girl. He couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him so freely… He was disgusted at himself because he wasn't disgusted, or quite as angry as he thought that he should be.

It was somewhat perplexing.

"_Perhaps I, Sesshoumaru, am becoming soft after all…"_

…Or was he?

Was it that he at least had been attempting to go by his Father's rules for a time, in order to harness the powers of the Heavenly Sword, long enough that somewhere along the way he'd actually thought he _really_ had stopped seeing them like things… …things that he could kill at his leisure?

'_Do not delude yourself__…'_

He was a Demon Lord. He had no use for such ridiculous notions. He'd once sought to build and empire. He felt no compassion towards them, the feeble things. They only happened to get in his way most of the time, and when they didn't, they were a means to an end... a quick and easy way to test his prowess.

…All with the exception of Rin; and the boy…_perhaps_. But Rin and the boy were just children.

Thus…

'…_Do not delude yourself…'_

He shook his head.

He had though that a bit of lone meditation would help put his chaotic thoughts in order, but it seemed quite apparent that putting distance between the pale golden haired girl and himself wasn't enough to put an end to his inner confusion. Once again, a battle of wills with the sailor suited youth had ended in nothing but uncertainty. Sesshoumaru didn't like it… …he didn't like the way this mere slip of a girl had the ability to make him so bemused. However, looking down at the broken Tenseiga by his side, he thought he realized it wasn't just her. She was only the unlikely proof of a long process that he might have undergone without noticing.

'_Because of you, I've surrounded myself with these mortals'_

'_Father…what kind of game was he intending to play…?'_

It was his fault. "This is annoying" He might just throw Tenseiga away. It was broken, after all.

That…… or he should just get rid of the girl…Whichever came first.

However, even he knew he wouldn't, _couldn't_ do either for the time being.

"…"

Out of the blue, the Demon Lord's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft melody; the melody of the star shaped locket.

"See, Usagi-san? I've kept it for you!"

"Oh, thank you so much, Rin-chan! Thank you so much for keeping it safe for me. This means a lot to me" the blonde said as she took the object in her hands, staring down at it with a smile of sweet remembrance.

'_That locket__…' _the Inu Lord thought. He also noticed the way the hair from one of the girl's ponytails was sprawled over her injured shoulder. Sesshoumaru's brow quirked …_Was she actually attempting to hide the small wound from the child on purpose?_

Rin had seen him do so much worse.

"_KOHAKU!_ Come back you irresponsible child, you haven't finished with your task yet!" he suddenly heard his servant, Jaken demand in a shout "Where are you going?!"

"…That music is so comforting" the Demon Lord watched the taijiya boy say timidly as he reached the two females "Um, miss, do you mind if I too listen for a while?"

"Not at all" the blonde's smile to the younger boy was so kind, warm and reassuring; it made the taijiya flushed.

"T-Thank you… Rin would always make me listen to it when she thought I was feeling down" he explained shyly as he went slowly to sit beside them.

"That's because it's such a beautiful melody! Don't you think so, Jaken-sama?" raising her arms up in childish enthusiasm, the little girl asked the toad youkai who had just arrived to where they were reunited, grumbling.

"NOT when it does nothing but distract you two from what you should be _DOING_!" he crossed his arms stubbornly. Neither of the four noticed that Sesshoumaru was listening.

"Oh!" blushing, the blonde decided to intervene "I'm sorry for the problems I'm causing, sir" she said gently, the Neo Queen's regal persona still inside her kicking in right then more than ever before without her knowledge, making the small demon's jaw fall to the floor, rather appalled that she would address him so politely, and call him 'sir'

"Eh!!?"

"It's not really their fault. They're just children, please don't get angry at them" she added in a soft whisper then, unaware of her small change and because she sensed the small youkai wasn't truly cruel at heart.

"You remind me of someone…" Kohaku, told her bashfully, quite awed at the regal aura she was unconsciously emitting "…could you, are you by any chance… a miko?" _'Kikyo-sama…'_

"No, unfortunately, I am not" Usagi told him with a grin, now more back to her old self. This young boy, 'Kohaku', was acting so shy around her, she couldn't help but like him "I tried to become one…but…"

"I see" the taijiya wasn't able to hide his disappointment. He had hoped she could purify his jewel shard if needed, like Kikyo-sama used to do when alive, if she was miko "It's just, when I saw that object that played music, I had thought that…"

"…That I was a miko or a witch if I could've done such sorcery?" she finished for him with a small giggle.

"Y-y-yeah" he stuttered nervously, this time VERY embarrassed.

'_He's so cute!' _the blonde thought mischievously _'He kind of reminds me of Shingo and Asanuma'_

"It's alright" she said with sensitivity, trying to ease the younger boy's discomfort "The truth is, though, I am neither of those"

'_So, she's not a miko?' _the Inuyoukai reflected on this.

"Then how come Lord Sesshoumaru said, ningen, that the last time he found you, you broke his sword with your power?" Jaken awoke from his previous shock to say this skeptically.

"I…- it's a long story" she sighed uneasily.

"Yeeaaah… I'm sure it is" the toad youkai once again snorted sardonically.

"This locket; it was merely a gift" the sailor suited female tried to explain softly "the music from this locket…I don't remember where it comes from, but I can't help wanting to listen to it… It is all I have left to remind me of my loved ones" the toad and two children watched as she pressed the artifact up to her chest with a strong emotion.

"…Your youkai friends?" Rin inquired.

"Not just them… but also my human friends and family"

"Oh" the little girl tilted her head to the side in childish curiosity "Where are they?"

"I-I wish I knew"

"They are… lost?" the boy, Kohaku, questioned.

"You could say that" the young woman said with a grieving smile.

"Is that why you're sad?" Rin asked with innocence "Then, then may be we can help you find them!"

Usagi turned to look at her then with her luminous gaze.

"I'm sure we can help her find them! Right, Jaken-sama? …Kohaku?"

"Um. I guess we could try" the older boy answered, not wanting to spoil the younger child's spirits as the young woman was staring, whereas the toad, still very much in shock, just snorted because he didn't know very well what to say.

"Thank you… That's so very kind of you all" she gave a sigh to control her growingly shaken voice and her desire to reach out and once again hold the little girl to her tight "but I think… I think they're already…" she lowered her head down so that her bangs ended covering her face from everyone's sight "…gone…"

"Oh" Rin repeated with a sad look.

"Then, you _are_ just like Rin and I, Usagi-san" the young slayer said as if confirming his suspicions.

"Ah!?" her head rose to look at him "You mean, that you too…?"

Rin nodded sadly "He no longer has his Pa, Ma and family, either, and for a long time, he didn't even remember them" she didn't notice the way Usagi's eyes got wide, but Kohaku did.

"Oh…I'm so sorry…I think… I think I know what that feels like…" she offered him with a resigned and unhappy smile, and Kohaku couldn't help but feel she was talking from personal knowledge. Hence, he asked.

"H-how?"

"The last time I met you, guys; the first time I talked to Rin… I actually didn't even know who I was…" she said with a mix of concession and defeat. These two children were being so nice to her; they made her feel so at ease…

_There was no __point in hiding absolutely everything from them all, was it?_

"_REALLY!?_" shocked, the two children said at the same time.

"That is a lie, woman! You told young Rin here your name, didn't you?" the toad intervened in a protest.

'_Indeed' _was Sesshoumaru's inner muse.

The blonde nodded. "That is right. All I knew was what some youkai friends had told me: that they'd found me passed out one day, and when I woke up I had no memory, and they didn't know where I'd come from. They took me in… and gave me a name"

'…_Now that I think about it, how did Niraya-sama ever come up with the idea to call me 'Usagi'?'_ she silently wondered to herself.

"Oh…Usagi-san, so you remember who you are now?" the little girl asked her with great inquisitiveness.

"A bit; some details here and there, but I don't think it's nearly enough to assure I've remembered all of my life. Everything's still so mixed up, and my memory is just so blurred. It's…still too painful…to remember. Because I know there is almost no one, nothing left, of the life I used to have" she said with undisguised grief.

"I- I know what that feels like" the young taijiya hesitated in an echo of her previous words, which made the blonde give him a somewhat bittersweet sympathetic smile of camaraderie, which he found himself returning..

"Those friends of yours who are youkai, was that person who was with you yesterday one of them?" Rin wanted to know more.

"Yes, his name is Aku"

"He…he seemed to really care about you, Usagi-san" the taijiya boy said with his own grin, feeling now more comfortable around her.

"He is a very special friend. I think he does"

"So you are not alone anymore, Usagi-san…" Rin turned to look up at her as with a beam "And perhaps, if Sesshoumaru-sama agrees… and if you want to, may be… may be you could even stay for a while with us!" the look of understanding discreetly turned to an eager, hopeful one.

"WHAT!" the green retainer tried to holler, but it was so subdued by his own surprised squawk that they didn't even hear it.

The statement from the small child had made the blonde's stare fill with tenderness. It was then that, above little Rin's head, her gaze suddenly met up with the distant one of Sesshoumaru's, who was watching them from his far away position against the tree.

What surprised the Demon Lord, though, was that even when her stare had become a bit bright and heavy with inner sorrow, he thought he noticed the determination, doubt and tenderness still inside piled hard against each other, battling.

"I would love to" the blonde said as her blue eyes still met his sunlit ones "…but I'm afraid that, when this is all over, I will have to go back"

'_To __where?' _was the question in everyone's minds.

They all fell silent after that.

As for Sesshoumaru…he was trying to decipher why her statement had left him even more intrigued... and not quite as satisfied as he would have wanted.

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: Another chapter that needs your kind opinion… it seems like it gets harder to write the more I get into the story, heh. (author sweatdrops)**


	48. Misunderstanding

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the anime shows, mangas, videogames and others where they appear._

Chapter Forty Seven.

'Misunderstanding'

_**A week and a half ago**__**…**_

"_Jaken-sama, don't you think Sesshoumaru-sama's been gone for too long now?"_

"_You nosy brat, you're always asking the same thing. Look at how quiet the taijiya is being…you should follow his example" the toad reprimanded._

"_Oh" the little girl glanced at the older boy, but noticed then that he wasn't being just quiet. Something must have gotten him worried, for he was gaping intently at the horizon with an astonished pale expression._

_Rin grew worried at his silence. "Kohaku? Is something wrong?"_

"_Look in the direction Sesshoumaru-sama went" the boy pointed at the sky urgently "…M-Mister Jaken… do you see it?! …W-What in the world is that!?!"_

"_Huh?" alarmed at what might have unsettled the slayer in such a way, the green retainer turned around curiously, only to have his eyes grow wider at the sight of a monstrous wave of blinding light approaching them like a typhoon "I…I-It's PURIFYING ENERGY!!!!!" he squawked "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!" he snapped back to run screaming away from there like the wind… and watching his hysterical reaction the two human children and dragon rushed to follow suit in a similar fashion._

…_But it was all in vain, for the wave of light reached them as soon as they'd advanced a short distance, slamming into them with such brutal explosive force it snatched them away from the ground._

"_AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!! JAKEN-SAMA!!!!!!!!!!" _

"_RIN!!!" Kohaku shouted as his hand lashed out to grab her arm as she was __blown past him, whereas he struggled to keep his hold onto a root buried deep into the ground. "Hold on tight!!!!!"_

"_But, but, but…Kohaku!! Jaken-sama is!!!-" she didn't get to finish for they instantly heard a familiar call; the two headed dragon, who had managed to get a hold of the toad by his collar, was struggling to fly towards them._

"_AH-UN__!!" the little girl shouted with relief, seeing he'd rescued their guardian. It was not long before the animal took them all to a nearby harbor. _

Present time

"…after it finally passed, we all mounted on Ah-Un and went looking for Sesshoumaru-sama" Rin told Usagi "Jaken-sama was very concerned because he said the hurricane had been of purifying energy; not sure about whether it should have harmed us, but still afraid for our Lord's wellbeing… We were lucky to come across him right there in mid-flight… he was flying in our direction, carrying you and Aku-san inside his snout. That Aku-san person looked so worried that you weren't going to wake up"

Usagi blinked at the only word she'd retained in her tiny brain… It was midday now, and the Taiyoukai's group were preparing for lunch. The two human children had invited the blonde to join them.

"Snout?"

The blonde watched with a sweat-drop as Rin just nodded, as if the fact that Sesshoumaru could have a snout was the most natural thing in the world for her, and then continued cooking some fish in the fire along with Kohaku as if it was nothing.

"What do you mean with…-?"

"Eh, um, UM!! Do you like fish, Usagi-san!?" Kohaku rushed to interrupt them, offering a small piece to Usagi; he knew where this was going and he didn't think that their new friend would take the information that she'd been carried around in a giant dog's mouth, while unconscious, very well.

"Uh? Y-Yes" Usagi replied, perplexed at the deliberate change of subject as she took the fish and thanked Kohaku.

'_Snout…what did she mean by that?'_

The truth was, though, she didn't get to mull over this very much right then, as she chewed the fish that the boy had offered because, and luckily for Kohaku, her thoughts had already been taken elsewhere despite the oddness of the little girl's statement. Truth was there a lot of other things to think about as well, and she couldn't keep the questions from entering her thoughts more often than she would have liked and intruding right in the middle of their conversation.

For example, as Rin kept talking more and more about people flying and youkai and purifying auras, Usagi was realizing for the first time how, ever since she'd first opened her eyes here, and found herself at Lord Niraya's side, some part deep in her had questioned them all as impossible, for they were completely different than the flashbacks that harassed her mind.

'_All those voices, sounds and images in my head…they were __Tsukino Usagi's memories… …they were also telling me I didn't belong in this time'_

'…_Or… is it just that Tsukino Usagi doesn't belong?'_

'_Tsukino Usagi doesn't belong… but is this Sailor Cosmos' time?'_

'_In other words… do 'I' belong here…?'_

It was strange.

Her vague sense of history already told her that, if this wasn't some sort of almost identical alternate universe, and supposing she wasn't crazy or asleep and dreaming… then she obviously had to be somewhere after the first Silver Millennium.

'_It has to be__, because if it isn't… why did that Shishinki person call me 'Princess Serenity' and then mentions my mother, the Queen, as deceased? …How did he know who I was?' _

'_Who was he… and what did he want?' _

Yes; it had to be somewhere after the first Silver Millennium…

'_And if this isn't Tsukino Usagi's time, then…'_

Then it had to be somewhere between the first Silver Millennium and the birth of the second, Crystal Tokyo, with her _true_ second incarnation, Tsukino Usagi… the same as Neo Queen Serenity...?

'_Of course, if this body that I'm in doesn't happen to be actually hers, that I've accidentally taken… that is… In that case, 'her' would be the same as 'me'… and if it was, would then I be Sailor Cosmos in the body of Sailor Moon…?…Or is it that I'm confounded, and I'm actually just Sailor Moon, the soon-to-be Neo Queen Serenity… with part of the memories and latent powers of the future Sailor Cosmos…?' _

'_I've been just assuming that I am Sailor Cosmos, and not Sailor Moon anymore…'_

'_But…'_

'…_What if it's the other way around?'_

Could anything that she did here…change her own future life?

'_But __my travel to the 20__th__ Century certainly didn't…Did it?' _

_Which _lifetime was she asking about, anyway?

Sailor Cosmos' life…or Sailor Moon's?

She stared down at her hands. _'I feel like I'm somehow lost in between… where I am both Sailor Moon and Cosmos, but I am also neither…'_

'_**The perfect time for change**__**, don't you think?' **_she unexpectedly thought she heard the same echo of a childlike voice from before whisper. "_HUH!?!_" Her head immediately whipped upwards.

Nothing…except the light blue sky.

"Usagi-san?" Rin asked, as both she and Kohaku looked at her surprised at her outburst. "Are you okay?" the boy asked.

"Oh, um…Yes, I am. Pardon me, Rin-chan, Kohaku-kun…" she tried to reassure them as she decided to come back down to earth for now "I got a little distracted. I just thought I had heard…" then she paused.

'_Better stop worrying about it just now… After all, there's __not much I can do about it in this current state… is there? "I don't think we should be rushing to any fast conclusions just yet"… that's what Kaede-sama said…I think may be I should keep following that advice' _

"…never mind" she decided to wave it off.

"Oh" the two children both stared at her in slight bemusement before the little girl decided to shrug it off and continue talking "well… as I was saying, we were all starting to think you weren't going to wake up! Rin was so happy when you finally did, Usagi-san…" the little girl didn't try to hide her relief as she looked up at her.

"Rin-chan…" the blonde's attention went to her "…You were worried about me?" she whispered then, once again feeling touched by this pure-hearted child.

Despite the circumstances, one could still say Rin barely knew her… yet she'd still worried about her sake?

"Hai! You were so nice to me the first time we met, Usagi-san! You listened to me and didn't say Rin was weird…" the little girl said with gratitude "you didn't say it was strange that me and Kohaku traveled with Master Jaken and Sesshoumaru-sama…and you also like my Lord!"

"Oh!!!" though the blonde was truly moved by the first sentences, the last one made her blush deep red. _The little girl couldn't have been thinking what Usagi thought that she might be thinking… could she?_

_Nah…__she decided. Rin must be too young to think yet of 'that' kind of things._ _'She probably said it because I gave him the locket'_ "Then I… I am sorry I made you worry…" she stammered, blushing a bit still.

"I-I wasn't sure if it was you at first! Because, Usagi-san, you looked so, um, different in your new costume" the older girl watched the child fight to find the right words to express how she'd been mysteriously unable to recognize her at first, and then as she finished absentmindedly "but Jaken-sama said that Sesshoumaru-sama had said that you were the same annoying wench we'd stumbled upon before, and I believed him"

"…Err…he actually put it like that?" Usagi said, now fully back into the conversation. Rin again nodded.

"Yep!" The blonde couldn't help but sweat-drop at the fact that both demons would speak in such a manner in front of the youngsters they supposedly cared about.

"Do you want to know something else, Usagi-san?" the child began a new topic before she put some food on her mouth, chewed and swallowed "Kohaku-kun always helps me catch the fish along with Jaken-sama. But yesterday Sesshoumaru-sama sent just the two of them to the river and when they came back they said they'd caught all these… I like catching fish with them, though. May be next time I'll get to go too... and may be you can come with us! If Sesshoumaru-sama lets you come I'll show you how we get them… it's very easy! Do you ever catch fish, Usagi-san? Am I talking too much? I forgot to tell you last time we met that I'm often getting told to shut up" the little girl babbled, repeating once again what she'd once asked to Kohaku.

Surprised of the unexpected statement at the end, Usagi glanced at the young taijiya, who just shrugged with a small embarrassed smile.

"Erm…that is Lord Sesshoumaru and Mister Jaken most of the time"

Glancing curiously at the Demon Lord still resting against the tree in apparent meditation, who opened his eyes to return her stare, and then at the toad falling asleep against the dragon, the young woman laughed lightly.

"I can see why…they seem to be very quiet" she giggled, turning back to the little girl "However, you can always speak to me as much as you want if you think it doesn't bother Sesshoumaru-sama" she didn't see the aforementioned demon raise an eyebrow.

"Really?" the child said looking up at her in awe "Thank you, Usagi-san!"

Pleased to see her so happy, Usagi laughed.

"Can Kohaku talk to you too?"

"Awwww…, of course he can!" the blonde said then, overwhelmed at such cuteness and laughing more when the little girl began giggling as she started ruffling her hair.

Then something truly evil occurred to her then, and she gave Rin a flash of a wicked smile before starting to gag and sound like she was in great pain…

"I can't take so much cuteness…_argh_! I can't take it!" she started holding her throat and chest like she was choking.

"Usagi-san??" Rin said as she and Kohaku watched her in alarm, clueless at what she was doing. Laughing madly in her mind, the blonde continued with the show, unaware that Sesshoumaru was watching, as Rin got up and approached her.

"I can't take such cuteness… It's just too much for me!" she fake-moaned as she peered at Rin coming to put a hand on her shoulder, looking worried. _'Just a little bit closer'_ "Come here, you cute little monster!!! I'm a monster that likes to eat little girls!"

"_USAGI-SAN?!?!!!_" Rin shouted, bewildered at the last statement and waking up Jaken with her shrill scream when the blonde suddenly threw herself over her. Gasping, Kohaku grabbed his sickle and Sesshoumaru got up in a flash. The Demon Lord approached them quickly but stopped dead when he heard that his ward was…

…

…

…laughing?

"_AHAHA!! Ahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!! Usagi-san!!!!!!_ _STOP!!!!!"_ Rin managed to say between bursts of laughter, as she tried to wriggle out of her grasp.

But it was no use… the blonde just kept tickling her just as she'd done so many times with the children of the village, whereas Kohaku gaped at them for a moment before he too started laughing.

"Oh, Usagi-san…" Kohaku immediately put his sickle away "You _did _give us quite the scare!" he protested, watching them and snickering while Sesshoumaru just stood there, watching. _'I think I understand now why Rin likes her' _the young taijiya thought to himself _'Usagi-san really is nice…'_

"…Stop, Usagi-san! It tickles!" the younger child kept on between her giggles. "It's _supposed_ to tickle!" the blonde giggled as well, recurring to the usual answer she gave the village children. "It wouldn't be fun if it didn't!"

"Do you amuse yourself doing something so ridicule?" a cold voice cut through their laughter, also cutting their fun short. Stopping what they were doing right then and there, both the dark and blonde heads turned to look up at Sesshoumaru, who was standing above them.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin called, noticing her Lord was angry.

"Sesshoumaru?" Usagi noticed as well "w-what…is something wrong?"

"You vile ningen! Were you trying to hurt Rin!?" it was Jaken's accusing voice as he came to stand beside his master.

"Huh?! No…why would you think that?" that was when she recalled she had said she was a monster that ate little girls "I… I don't eat children!" she laughed nervously "please don't think I meant what I said…it was only a game"

"I do not find your games amusing, human" Sesshoumaru told her icily.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" this was Kohaku.

Usagi stared into the Taiyoukai's hard gaze. Feeling depressed all of a sudden, the blonde let go of Rin slowly, sitting away from her, almost like curled into a ball and lowering her eyes.

"Usagi-san? …Sesshoumaru-sama?" sitting up too, Rin looked from one to the other.

"No…Sesshoumaru-sama…it-it was a misunderstanding. Usagi-san… she didn't mean it that way…" Kohaku said then, trying to aid in the situation. "She wasn't trying to attack her"

"Eh? That is right, Sesshoumaru-sama!" realizing what her Lord thought, the little girl echoed instantly.

The Demon Lord's eyes were still severely focused on the older one, though.

"Sesshoumaru-sama" the Inuyoukai glanced down when he felt the little girl take his hand "please don't be angry at Usagi-san… she didn't harm Rin… I… Rin got confused for a moment there… but then Rin realized Usagi-san wasn't trying to. Please… she didn't mean to make me scared... forgive Usagi-san?"

"Rin?" Kohaku looked at her in wonder as Jaken stared on with narrowed eyes.

Everyone waited to see what Sesshoumaru was going to do, as he turned to look at the curled blonde one more time.

Evaluating.

"Is that true?" he asked after a long moment of silence. Usagi's downcast gaze widened.

"Y-Yes" feeling his stare still on her, she cautiously lifted her head to once more look up at him, fear and shy hope battling it out in her eyes. For a long moment, neither said anything, they just stared at one another.

"Alright" Sesshoumaru said with finite, turning around to return to his tree.

Rin and Kohaku sighed.

The green retainer merely remained silent.

"S-Sesshoumaru!?" the older girl urgently got up just like that, surprising them with her new resolve.

"What is it?" he stopped walking but didn't turn to look at her.

"…Thank you…"

**To Be Continued.**


	49. Understanding

_Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and Inuyasha are not mine; they're Naoko Takeuchi'__s and Rumiko Takahashi's._

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to a certain someone who ****rather unfairly became the target of my foul humor this week. You know who you are (winks) and this is my form of apologize.**

Chapter Forty Eight.

'Understanding'

'_Being around Rin is nice…she acts like she likes having me around; she doesn't seem to care for my past beyond the fact that it makes me suffer…' _

Kohaku kept thinking with a troubled heart as he was walking, watching the rest of the group doing the same before him.

They had finished lunch a couple of hours before, and it was then that Sesshoumaru had told them they would go walking, so they did… and after what'd happened at the camp, each was immersed in their own thoughts.

'_Mister Jaken is alright, and Sesshoumaru-sama…he wants to protect my shard from Naraku… he could have chosen to take it from me and just keep it safe with himself…but Mister Jaken won't tell me the reason why they've also chosen to keep me alive…I still miss Kikyo-sama, but I feel safe being with them…'_

'_Because … I still can't face Aneue…'_

'_And… Usagi-san…it hasn't been that long since the time we first saw her, either… has it? But, when she mentioned her own loss of memory… the way she looked at me right then…she made me somehow feel like she could understand what I felt.'_

'_Rin was right… she looked so sad when she talked about that__… It's like…like she also carries her own burdens…'_

'_I wonder what they are'_

'…'

'…_Is she like me? Did Naraku…? Did she also use to be Naraku's puppet? Could that be the reason she used to have no memory?'_

'…_Could she be carrying a shikon shard, and not even know about it? Because if she is… that __**has**__ to be the reason why Byakuya said that Naraku wants her' _

'_I had thought she and that Aku-san person could have been a little like me and Kagura…'_

'…_When Lord Sesshoumaru brought her along, making us stay by her side instead of leaving or just killing her, then when Byakuya said what he said to him, and specially when she mentioned her recent loss of memory… that was when I had immediately thought of that possibility…But if she were carrying a shikon shard, would Lord Sesshoumaru even choose to tell us about it?'_

'_When I saw her suddenly throw herself at Rin, I got scared that she might have fooled us all or that Naraku was controlling her after all and she'd ended being like me…and Sesshoumaru-sama's reaction scared me too… I was so relieved when I noticed Usagi-san was only playing with her…' _

'_But…if she recovered her memories, and Byakuya said that Naraku had lost track of her during the cataclysm, perhaps it was during the cataclysm that she remembered who she was and escaped him? However…'_

'_However… I can not bring myself to ask her'_

"You really fooled us for a moment there, Usagi-san" the young boy told the blonde older girl out of the blue when he caught up with her again and Rin. "I had even forgotten that some village children use to play like that"

Thankful for that she took as an attempt at a nice comment, the blonde smiled at him for a while, before her face became pensive again as her eyes returned to the Demon Lord's back. Taking notice of this, the taijiya decided to add something else.

"You must excuse Sesshoumaru-sama, though. You see, it's not… it's not the first time one of us sees another human get possessed by a demon to hurt said human's friends and close ones" he finished with a hard swallow.

'…_Papa…'_

The young woman's head turned to him. She thought she had sensed something peculiar in his tone.

Sadness…regret…

…And _fear_?

…Why fear?

"Is… that so, Kohaku? Has… something like that already happened… … …to you?" she asked in a hesitant voice.

Assaulted by the thought that she might have figured out what it was all about by now, the boy gasped.

"Usagi-san… I am sorry, but I… I'm not ready to talk about it still" She saw him lower his head so much that his bangs hid his eyes.

Usagi stared at him for a long moment.

'_When Rin talked about his loved ones, he seemed to so much more than just sad'_

Seeing the sorrow radiating off of him in thick waves, she knew then she needn't ask anymore.

"I… …I understand"

A demon had possessed someone to hurt his family; that's all she thought she needed to know.

…She needn't ask how, who, or why.

She'd already heard once while in Kaede's village, that some demons were capable of things like that.

If something of that sort happened to him… had it been to his human family, or was he talking about…

'_Oh, Kohaku…I didn't know. I- I am so sorry…'_ she thought to herself, becoming a bit ashamed _'What I did…, then what I did must have seemed pretty stupid…and that's why Sesshoumaru…'_

'…_Oh…'_

She thought she knew what had happened, now.

Incredible… how a simple joke, a mindless joke, could mean so much more to others.

A mindless joke…

How it could become so hurtful.

'…_I am so sorry; if I had known…'_

Even if it hadn't been her intention.

She was relieved Kohaku and Rin had noticed she had a rather innocent purpose. They were children who hadn't learned to distrust people so instantly, yet. Apparently, Sesshoumaru and the smaller youkai, Jaken, were another story.

But she couldn't bring herself to resent them for thinking the way they did.

'_If I had known the game with Rin would remind you, or to any of you of it, then…'_

'…_Then…'_

'_Then… may be I wouldn't have done it…'_

She thought she finally understood all of them a bit more as well.

Specially Sesshoumaru…

She couldn't resent him. Not for him thinking such a thing; thinking that she would purposely harm a young innocent child like Rin…because she knew he was only trying to protect her. She couldn't be angry at him for protecting those he cared about, especially not after what Kohaku had just told her.

As for never giving her the benefit of the doubt from the start, perhaps, she should be angry about that. But she couldn't get angry at him for that either…

She thought it might have to do, one more time, partly, with the fact that she was grateful to him for saving her life twice… Perhaps it had to do with the fact that, from the very beginning, she'd been given a fair idea of who he was. _How_ he was.

…Who knows.

Whatever it was, she just couldn't get angry at him over something like this.

She just… couldn't.

―"_I had a terrible nightmare; I dreamed… that you were evil, and had a black heart"_

―"_Resentment and loneliness can do that to a soul sometimes"―_

Niraya-sama's words.

―"_Couldn't those people be changed?"_

―"_Sometimes people are just not open to listen…"―_

―…_What had caused them to lose faith?_

All of them.

― …_Was the world of the outside…truly that heartless and terrible? _

― "_People act selfishly; they fear what they don't understand, and what they fear…they hate"―_

Was she trying to prove them wrong?

Coldness…

…Mistrust.

Was she trying to prove him wrong?

―"_Humans are a most opportunistic herd; so… what do you expect to gain by apologizing to me in this manner?"―_

Who was she trying to prove wrong?

Was it Niraya-sama…

…Or Lord Sesshoumaru?

Or the both of them?

May be…

'_If__ there's no hope for this world… my life will have no meaning?'_

…May be she was just trying to prove it to herself…

To herself, for herself.

…Perhaps.

Perhaps she was trying to see it for herself.

"Sesshoumaru?" she heard her own voice call, her own feet bringing her closer to him, and she hadn't even realized. When she saw him glance at her briefly, she continued. "A demon's possession happened to someone close to Kohaku?"

He saw his gaze narrow on his profile as he glanced at her again. "It was Naraku" he said tersely. He noted the way her own gaze sparkled with recognition, but what he expected her to say wasn't what he heard her say next.

"Is that…the same Naraku that you mentioned is after me? …Who is he, Sesshoumaru? What does he want?"

He snorted. "I thought you would have a fair idea already"

The reiterated answer suddenly made her annoyed. "I told you I have no idea who he is… don't you think I at least deserve that you tell me, since he's the reason you're keeping me here? May be I can help?"

"I do not require for your assistance"

Frustrated, her eyes became heavy with pleading. "Sesshoumaru-sama, please… Every time you mention that person, I feel so alone and confused. He obviously is the reason I make you upset, yet I don't know anything about him. _I need to know what's going on… please… _"

Usagi didn't know the effect that particular tone of voice and such a look from her eyes had on people…or may be she did, and did it on purpose… What matters is that they made Sesshoumaru feel a mixture of both a bit guilty and extremely annoyed.

Hence he ceased walking and stopped.

"If you must know…" he found himself saying without really knowing what he was doing "Naraku is a vile half-breed who's apparently after the Shikon no Tama"

* * *

Meanwhile, far away from there… 

"Inuyasha, you are a big fat ugly bully!"

"WHO are you calling fat, runt?! And who are you calling UGLY!!"

"I'm calling you ugly because you needn't hit me so hard, you big bully!"

"Then stop cracking jokes on the spell of the prayer beads, you little--!"

"What?" Shippo blinked when the hanyou failed to continue; then started laughing anD pointing "HA! You can't even say a proper insult!" he blew a raspberry.

_**CLONK!**_

"_WAAAAHHH!!!!!!_"

Knowing what was coming, the girl from the future sighed.

"Kagome, Inuyasha hit me again!!"

"Ah, no! _NO_ sir!! Work it out between the two of you this time, you two idiots… I'm not taking any part in it"

"_Kagome?!_" the two contestants looked at her surprised at the unexpected answer. The girl from the future's eyebrow twitched.

"Your verbal fights have been getting worse and worse, lately" she fumed "and I realized my intervention doesn't help… so I am _NOT _going to speak in favor of any of you this time… _understand?? _Your arguments are making everybody tired, so take the chance to talk and sort this out and stop this nonsense… or I'll never speak again to any of you" considering her statement finished, she turned around and walked away along with Sango, Miroku and Kirara, not looking back and leaving the two alone in the meadow.

With their mouths agape, the two quarrelers stared as they disappeared behind some trees, then at each other.

Then they began again.

"It's all your fault, runt!"

"No it's not, Inuyasha, its' your fault!" Shippo protested, but then grew guilty "but you heard Kagome… she won't speak to any of us unless we patch things up" Something occurred to him then.

Looking up at the hanyou, he hesitantly asked "Inuyasha do my jokes about your prayer beads…hurt your feelings?"

"Keh!!" the half-breed grumbled, closing his eyes and crossing his arms in a huff.

Realizing what this mean, the kistune's spirits fell. "Oh. Inuyasha… I don't really mean them. I-I- I'm sorry..." his face fell, looking and sounding very penitent.

"Um" the angry half-demon opened an eye to glance down at the repentant fox kit "You really are sorry, Shippo?" he raised an eye-brow suspiciously "Or are you just apologizing to look good in front of Kagome?"

"Um, um, y-y-yeaaaahhh…" at the sound of the hanyou's gentler tone, the little youkai sniffed and unexpectedly rushed to hug the older boy's legs tight "I'm sorry, Inuyasha! I'm so _so_ sorry! I'm not going to do it again! Please don't be angry at me, onii-san!!"

Hearing this made Inuyasha gasp. _Had Shippo just called him older brother, of all things?!_

"It's just… when you hit me or ignore me just because I'm a little kid, or because you think I'm weaker and small and because you can… I resent you sometimes" Shippo confessed in a low mumble, "That's why I get back at you by saying that stuff. But you're right… You have a right to get angry and next time you do something I don't like I will just tell you, instead of bottling it up. I don't know why I've been doing that…"

'_Man… he__'s doing all this 'cause he really can't live without Kagome's attentions; can he? He really IS a baby youkai…is he' _the hanyou thought. "I didn't know you were feeling ignored lately, Shippo" he argued, genuinely taken by surprise.

"Yes… I know you guys have a lot on your minds ever since the Priestess Kikyo died. But it's only natural that you do… I… I've been egotistical lately, Inuyasha. I'm sorry…"

Deciding that perhaps he 'should' be more mature about Shippo's childish teasing, he couldn't help but forgive him, though…Because, despite the fact that he 'was' sometimes just a loudmouthed kid, even 'he', Inuyasha, knew Shippo had no real ill will… and despite how much he liked to hide it, Inuyasha was also truly a softie at heart.

"Yeah, yeah yeah… I forgive you…and I'm sorry I ignored you. Runt, I promise that when Naraku is gone, and this is all over, I'll make it up to you… Listen: may be if you're patient I'll even teach you how to do the kitsune's version of the 'Iron Reaver Soul Stealer' attack with your claws, how's that?" he awkwardly bent down to pat the little fox's back.

The little boy stared at him in awe "Really?! You know one of the adult kistunes' tricks?"

"Of course I do! Who are you taking me for! You don't survive alone in the wilderness for that long without learning a thing or two" he huffed with superiority "Now stop sniveling, runt. You're getting mucus all over my clean pants"

"Thank you, Inuyasha!" the kit said sincerely "You won't regret it, I promise!"

"Whatever, squirrel. Now let's get back with the others" Getting a hold of Shippo's tiny hand, the hanyou started to slowly lead him away from that part of the forest.

"But Inuyasha… I'm not a squirrel"

'_Grrr'_ "…I know that, kid. Never mind"

As they were leaving, neither noted that hidden behind a tree, a shadowed figure was watching, relieved and satisfied.

"Awww…I'm so proud at them! I just _knew_ all they needed was a minute or two talking" Kagome snickered to herself, before joyfully trotting to reunite with them.

* * *

And in some other part away from there as well… 

"Usagi-sama… Why…why did you have to go with him? I could have fought him; I could have fought him so that I could help you stay…" the male lavender haired incarnation berated himself for the thirtieth time that day, as he continued walking around the old hermit's abandoned cabin in circles, "I can't believe I let that happen, I can't believe it…"

Even though it was already been almost a day since the Taiyoukai's group had left the place, hence almost a day since the blonde's 'kidnapping' so to speak, he hadn't return with Naraku-sama and the others yet.

He was scared.

'_This is bad bad bad. If I go back, without Usagi, Lord Naraku might skin me alivethis time around'_ he shuddered nervously, hiccupping like a terrified toddler, _'I don't want to'._ There was a tiny chance that Naraku thought him dead, that he'd died along with Usagi during the cataclysm, and he wasn't going to spoil it.

"That is, if Tsumi doesn't come to get me in the next days… how long would it take 'her' to find me?"

'_I wonder if I should truly stay any longer in this place__. May be I should leave-' _His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a twig snapping. He turned to the direction of the sound in a flash.

"Who's there!!?"

He wasn't quite prepared for the sight of the figure that wordlessly came to stand in front of his eyes.

"_You-?!?_"

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

**A/N: ****Evil cliffhanger, I know… but it was due sooner or later, and now it has come. Hope this chapter answered some of your questions: you know what some of the characters 'think' could be happening… but then again… are these characters right in their guesses? …Who knows? If I answered all of your questions in one chapter, why bother to continue reading? It's the expectative that keeps the interest burning, don't you agree? (Chuckles) **

**Thanks for the support, and tolerance… (smiles) and be kind to tell me what you thought. **


	50. Barbecue

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon, I just own this particular story that mixes the two together._

Chapter Forty Nine.

'Barbecue'

It was the next day and all the members, willing and not so willing, of the Taiyoukai's 'pack' were already up and about, feeling a lot more rested.

Rin specially had had a good night's sleep the night before, having asked her new 'friend' if she could sleep beside her. Sesshoumaru had been a bit reluctant at first, but when he overheard the child tell the blonde that she was very glad that she had joined their group, right before falling asleep, he hadn't had the heart to go pick her up and take her somewhere else lest she wake up and ask him with those eyes full of childlike innocence why she wasn't allowed to sleep with her new friend, when he'd already given his permission to let them talk to each other.

Since the Demon Lord had never had to consider another person's feelings before, as much as he was feeling sort of forced to do right now…; because he'd never ever cared for someone before as much as he did little Rin, and because up till that moment Rin had acted like the very epitome of obedience, always knowing instinctively what he would dislike and what he wouldn't….; it wasn't surprising this rather new situation would slowly but surely start becoming a bit maddening from his point of view. But the Inu Lord didn't want to think whether it was the painful memory of his ward's almost recent death that _'still'_ continued to affect him…enough to want to grant her small moments like these, of childlike leisure and total abandon… or whether it was also something else and _'different'_ altogether that had begun to affect him.

On the other hand, he didn't want to think that Rin was just an orphaned child who had hazardously spent a lot of time bonding with the older girl already; that she might, that she just 'might' have started seeing her as someone she could hold genuine affection for, in such case she would be hurt if he did anything to try and separate them… He didn't want to do something that might confirm that notion.

The sooner this whole thing was over, the better; which was also why he was standing there right then, waiting for his retainer's return…

"Well?" the Demon Lord asked his servant as soon as he and the two-headed dragon landed beside the group.

"My Lord, the sword-smith's nerve knows no bounds" the toad replied as he dismounted the big beast "he refused to come with me towards where you are, saying he doesn't take orders from you…He said that, if Lord Sesshoumaru wants to see him, he will have to go up there himself"

"Um; so he won't come, huh?" the Taiyoukai said with displeasure "Fine then, this Sesshoumaru will go meet him by himself, and you, Jaken, you will watch over her while I'm gone" he gestured towards Usagi, whereas she just looked from one to the other clueless.

Jaken glanced at her hesitantly. "But milord…what about that human's purifying powers?" he said a bit fearfully, only to receive a hard glare from his master, which made him gulp and immediately add, "Don't worry, Sesshoumaru-sama, I will sacrifice my own life if necessary to ensure she doesn't flee while you're gone"

"I don't understand" the blonde whispered to herself, blinking "Why can't we all go to that mountain together?"

"Because the place's like an active volcano, Usagi-san" Kohaku, who had heard her muttering, explained to her from her left "and fragile mortal human bodies like ours probably wouldn't survive the dangerous journey up to the top"

"Besides, may be Sesshoumaru-sama wants to speak to the sword smith in private" Rin butted in from the blonde's right side.

"Oh" the older girl blinked slowly in realization and understanding. "Then that must mean…" she turned away and approached the two demons to address the Inuyoukai with a question "That sword smith you're all speaking of, that Totosai… he can repair your broken sword Tenseiga, can't he? Which I gather is the reason we are here?"

"That isn't any business of yours, human!" the green retainer reprimanded irate before the other could have a chance to respond; but looking at the way Sesshoumaru studied her silently, she had a feeling that she was right.

"If that's the case, please go in peace, Sesshoumaru-sama" the blonde said then, her head held high with dignity, but her attitude still modest and respectful; the regal aura of the Neo Queen unconsciously shining through once more. "I was the one who caused its damage; when you agreed to free my friend Aku, I swore I would stay of my own free will" she reminded "Thus, worry not; I will not escape or try anything else till this whole matter is solved"

"Are you giving your word on this, woman?" the Taiyoukai questioned, narrowing his eyes in frank interest.

"Yes" she closed her eyes, bowing her head in deferring acquiescence.

"Then I will hold you to it" he said, a tad bit impressed if he'd dare admit it. "If she breaks it, though, you know what to do, Jaken" Moments later, he was already on his youkai cloud, heading for the lair of the old sword smith.

'_Sesshoumaru' _Usagi thought, watching him go, _'I wonder… why that sword seems so important to you…' _If the Demon Lord already thought of the blonde girl as an enigma, the girl was starting to see him as one as well; not that he hadn't been before, it was just… that she hadn't realized how much she wanted to know more about him, till that very moment.

'_It makes sense though, that he would need a sword. Kaede-sama explained to me these were times of war, just like Niraya-sama said once…but somehow I feel like they weren't talking about the same thing'_

'…_Kaede-sama… …Niraya-sama… …I wonder how they are right now…'_

"Usagi-san?" Rin called, "Do you want to join us for breakfast? …Sesshoumaru-sama will probably be gone for a while, you know"

"Sure" the older girl smiled as she sat down with the younger one and the taijiya. Though she couldn't stop herself from thinking…

'_That thing that Sesshoumaru mentioned last night that this Naraku person wanted, that Shikon no Tama…the name sounds so familiar, like some complicated concept of Shinto that Kaede-baba talked about once…said it was the concept of the Four Souls; but I can't remember what else it was that she said…I was so sleepy that time when she explained that particular concept'_

'_Ugh! If I had stayed filly awake and paid whole attention during her lesson, I probably wouldn't have to press my brains to recall what this Shikon no Tama thing was about! As it is, though, I will have to wait till it comes back to me'_

'…_If it ever does…' _

'_Because neither Sesshoumaru, nor Kohaku, Jaken or even Rin want to say anything more…and Rin claims she doesn't know much anyway' _

'_I just want to know… …I just want to know…'_

'…_what is it about that thing that seems to cast a shadow on anyone who speaks about it…?' _

"You heard My Lord, wench!" the toad told her suddenly, getting her back to the here and now when the youth saw he was pointing his staff at her, which in turn made one of the Heads spit a little flame of fire that was extinguished quickly… just to show as a warning what it could do.

"If you try something funny" said demon finished threateningly "it's gonna be the barbecue with you!"

"Er…, I-I'll behave" the blonde raised her palms defensively, sweat-dropping.

'_I have a bad feeling about this'_

* * *

Up on the mountain, a few minutes later, the Inuyoukai met with the infamous sword smith at the mouth of his cavern. 

"You didn't answer my call, Totosai" he said, approaching the older youkai in a rather impassive fashion.

"Of course not!" the sword master protested, still working feverishly, as if he had other things to worry more about than just the presence of Sesshoumaru "Can't you see that I'm very busy? I must finish this shortly if I'm to receive a decent pay!"

Raising an eyebrow, the Taiyoukai threw a glance to inspect the weapon the sword smith was currently so busy making "Whom are you making that sword for?" He wasn't actually interested, though, for it didn't look that formidable.

"Swore not to tell anyone, sorry. But it's NOT for your brother Inuyasha… if that's what you're worried about" the more ancient demon paused in his activity only a second to throw a nasty glare at the younger one. "So tell me, what brings you here? Not the need to know for whom this sword is, I suppose" he muttered as he went back to his work.

"Watch it, old man… If I didn't have an imperious need for your services at this moment, I would split you in half with my claws" Sesshoumaru warned in a dangerous hiss.

"That's precisely the reason why I dare, Sesshoumaru" the weapon master huffed "I heard a bit from your fanatical servant… So, the Sacred Fang broke, during the cataclysm? Can't say I'm surprised though" he made another pause to glare significantly at the other, as if he didn't think the Demon Lord had taken care of the sword well enough.

"You…" Sesshoumaru growled. "What dare you suggest, old man?" the dark tone made the older demon flinch.

"Um, nothing!" Totosai said in a squeak as his eyes got impossibly wide, making a complete change on his attitude. "Jeez, I witness once again that you haven't changed that much" _'I had thought that with the reforged sword…' _he thought to himself. "Anyway, where's Tenseiga? Show it to me… I'll see what I can do"

* * *

Somewhere else, one of the people Usagi'd been thinking about was having a hard time… 

"Kaede-sama, will Usagi-sama ever come back?"

"Why did she leave, Kaede-sama? Didn't she like it here?"

"Lady Kaede, Lady Kaede… please answer, we really miss her!"

"I know children, I know" the withered priestess tried to calm the disquieted young voices. "Unfortunately, I don't know if she will come back. We must wait, pray and be patient" she said as she sent them all back home. She gave one last wistful look at the village not very far and the children's retreating forms before shifting to continue her solitary path towards the shrine.

It made her heartbroken to see all their anxious faces, but there wasn't much else she could do about it. Just pray that Inuyasha and Kagome's group were able to find her... before someone else did, and that they found her alive.

"Usagi, child… I pray that wherever you are, you're safe… you're not with Naraku" she wondered out loud as she walked, still in worry, "you can't be…are you?"

"Unfortunately, I must say she's not with me right now" a velvet male voice said from behind her, and just like that, Kaede felt an ominous presence. Recognizing the owner of the voice, she turned around in a flash.

"_NARAKU!?!!?!!?!_" NO! She didn't have a bow or arrows right now, damn it!!! "Wha-?!! What are you doing here?!?!"

"Fancy you would ask such thing" the Dark Hanyou said cracking his knuckles and smiling viciously "Long time no see… Kaede"

* * *

Back at the valley by Totosai's mountain, Usagi was struck with the sudden feeling of danger, and opened her eyes wide. 

"…Kaede-baba…"

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Sorry took me so long to update… I had to figure out where I wanted it to go, and kinda had a hard time figuring the 'how'. Please let me know what you thought! **


	51. Selffulfilled Prophecy

_Disclaimer: This is the fifty first chapter, you should already know by now that I don't own Inuyasha and Sailor Moon, because the true owners are Rumiko Takahashi, etc, and Noako Takeuchi, etc. __Gee, when are you gonna learn?_

Chapter Fifty.

'Fulfilled Prophecy'

"What's wrong, Usagi-san?" Rin asked when she noticed the way the blonde had started clutching at her chest with an erratic breathing.

"Something's wrong…" the older girl managed to whimper between her short breaths "I can feel it"

* * *

"Long time no see, indeed. Isn't that right…Kaede?" Naraku repeated malevolently as he approached her slowly.

"_W-what are you doing here?!?_" Kaede said desperately as she took one step back, knowing full well that, at the level of power Naraku was currently displaying, there wasn't much that she alone could do against him. However, she recovered instantly, and steeling herself, she straightened up and squared her shoulders to face him with the dignity of a full-fledged priestess. _'This is the man that killed your sister…'_ she told herself.

'_I __am all alone right now and I may die, but I've already lived long enough…I'm not afraid of death. So if he kills me, then so be it… I will go down honoring the name of our family… … Onee-sama…'_

"What brings you here?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes at him. Seeing that she no longer showed fear, Naraku ceased his advance.

"Always straight and to the point, the women of your family" the Dark Hanyou said smirking, as if he had read her thoughts, "All of them so… courageous. But then again, you didn't have a choice, did you Kaede? You had to make up for the fact that you were always… so plain; whereas Kikyo was always the prettier sister…"

"…I'm too old, _Onigumo…_" the priestess told him venomously, hoping to hit a nerve with that name, "Your childish tricks will not work on me"

"So I've noticed" he answered lazily, and she noticed he was rather unaffected by the barb of 'that' particular name, which was rather surprising.

"What else could you possibly want with our village?" she interrogated then, "_We have no shikon shards!!!_" she practically spat at him, not aware of how much she reminded him of the girl Kagome at that very moment.

And quite ironically, 'that' was precisely what quite apparently, did hit a nerve.

"I am well aware of that" he hissed, growing furious, "I also think you know the reason why I'm here" his red eyes flashed, "Where is she, Kaede? …_Where… Is… Usagi…?_" he once again began to approach her.

Kaede gasped. _'He doesn't know?'_

"I don't know" she replied "and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you either. Leave her alone! What do you _want_ with her?!"

She didn't like the answer that she got next.

"She is '_**mine**_'"

"Yours?" Kaede's gaze narrowed again with hatred. "Do you take me for a fool?!?" she exclaimed rather disbelievingly, "I sensed her aura, she is not evil… she is not" she sounded almost in denial. Naraku took pity on her.

"She doesn't have to be… to belong to me"

"If she's not evil, she can't be your willing servant" the priestess snapped in anger. She suddenly thought of Sango; perhaps Usagi was the same "…Tell me! What are you threatening her with?!"

"Servant?" he interrupted with a laugh, in a tone that was a mixture of surprise, scorn and realization, raising his chin, "is that what you think she is?"

'…_She might be so much more than just that…'_

'_She may be my home, my world and my new dream…_' he thought to himself.

Giving Kaede an absolutely cruel, vicious taunting smirk, he added.

"_**She is mine…the way Kikyo's never been…" **_

* * *

At the top of a cretain mountain…

"Mhm, this is indeed strange," Totosai mumbled, turning the two pieces in his hands as he was examining the broken Fang "unlike Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga is a sword with self-healing abilities, there is no possible damage ever done to it that those healing properties shouldn't be able to fix by themselves. However, it almost looks like it doesn't '_want_' to heal itself… and you say the person who did this was the same that caused the cataclysm?" he glanced up at the Demon Lord. "Are you certain of this?"

"She…is nothing but a weak ningen" Sesshoumaru replied as if trying to dismiss the subject; looking away "if not in power, then in spirit and in mind…she's way too subservient" he finished with distinguished disdain.

"Um… Subservient, you say?" the sword smith blinked in genuine confusion, "…And she almost destroyed the world?"

"Due to her inability to control her own power, most surely"

"Ah, of course" the older demon said with belied irony "So you're keeping her in order to teach her, so that she doesn't become a threat to herself or others?" he reasoned, because it was what any person with half a sense would do. …He only hoped Sesshoumaru was one of those people with half a sense, at the very least.

"That is absurd" the Taiyoukai snarled. He 'had' considered preventing her from ever causing another cataclysm, this was true; it was one of the reasons he had kept her… but teach her? He did not have the time to waste. Besides…"Her powers are spiritual"

"So are yours; you know that. Same as with powerful miko, youkai power comes from the spirit" explained Totosai "and only those with great power in their spirits can teach someone else. The difference between what's mystical and what's demonic consists merely of a thin line; the _'true'_ difference between what's holy and what's sinful lies in the heart, not the blood, as I'm sure that you '_are_' aware despite the appearances. Thus, even though you are youkai, Sesshoumaru, if there is no other human-being with spiritual power as great as her… then you, as a Demon Lord, '_could_' teach her to develop self-restraint" _'…Heck, you could even re-learn some yourself, while you're at it' _the sword-craftsman thought to himself a bit snidely.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the outskirt of the village, Kaede was staring at Naraku aghast.

"_It's…It's not true!_" she stuttered "_you're lying!!!_"

"Am I?" the Dark Hanyou questioned, mocking.

"That can't be…" she exclaimed breathlessly, completely in shock and stumbling "She's…she's too pure for you…" _'Oh Kami, he can't possibly mean…!'_

Naraku's red gaze squinted.

"She's not… _Kikyo…_" he spat the name as if it revolted him.

"I will not believe it" Kaede bit back, once again regaining control of herself, "She is too pure…too innocent… whereas you... your hands are stained with so much blood and your soul's so filled with dirty thoughts you shouldn't be able to _'touch'_ her! …_Stay away from her,_ _Onigumo_! She is not for you, as neither was Kikyo! I will _NOT_ let you hurt Usagi like you hurt her!!!" She couldn't continue, though, for she was immediately struck on the shoulder by one of his tentacles, much like a rapid viper's bite, in the same way her older sister had been at Mount Hakurei.

"You…" she glared at him with all she had, falling to her knees clutching her injured shoulder.

"Do not fear priestess; you will not die…" _'Not today…'_ "The sting of my poison this time will only make you passed out" he told her grimly, then gave her a small smile, "I hope you don't mind that my… servants spend a little time '_playing_' at the village while you're out" his gaze turned more hateful when he saw her gasp. "You see, they've been a bit restless lately, what with the cataclysm and everything. Perhaps… this way one of the villagers might even tell them where she is" his eyes flashed once again, belying his conversational tone "don't you agree?"

"You…foulest, vilest creature" the old woman staggered as her strength left her, her entire form dropping lifelessly to the ground; but she was still conscious.

"Sweet dreams, Kaede"

Turning around, he started walking away from her. He hadn't taken but two steps when he heard her stammering voice.

"…She doesn't know…does she?" she said in nothing but a whisper, but Naraku was still able to hear her perfectly, which made him slow his strides. "She doesn't know who…what you are…what you're really capable of"

'_We'll see, __you wretched hag; we'll see…if I can 'touch' Usagi or not' _

"When she does… when she sees, we'll see… …we'll see…what you do, Nara…ku" were her last words before the poison got the best of her, rendering her unconscious.

She never got to see the deep, profound effect those words had had on him.

…She never saw his eyes darken with rage.

* * *

"Usagi-san? Usagi-san! What is it! What's wrong with you!?" Back at the valley, the little girl exclaimed when she saw the older girl clutch her head tightly as well as her chest, shutting her eyes tight with an anguished scream of pain.

"Is she ill?!!" Kohaku asked as he came to them running.

"I don't know! Out of the blue she just started acting like this!" Rin cried out to him, panicked.

"Great! …Just great! …Just what I needed at this moment" Jaken mumbled worried, "A sick human!"

Meanwhile, Usagi had grown very pale and begun sweating, rocking back and forth.

"It hurts… it hurts… Stop it! Please stop!" she cried over and over, as if unaware of her surroundings.

"She's hallucinating" Kohaku concluded, "Get away from her, Rin! It might be contagious" he said as he tried to take her place by the feverish young woman's side. "Let me see her"

However, Rin wasn't ready to leave her side just yet. "Usagi-san?" she called as she grabbed the blonde woman's arm…

…And just like that, she was assaulted by a vision.

_It was the vision of a village… in flames.__ She was right in the middle of it, standing on the blood soaked ground; the only silent, passive spectator of the massacre perpetuated by hundreds and hundreds of lesser youkai monsters, while peasants ran away screaming in sheer terror left and right. _

…_She remembered those monsters; they were the same kinds of monsters that had surrounded the palace where she'd been held captive when Kagura kidnapped her, that time when Naraku had tried to lure Lord Sesshoumaru into a trap in order to devour him whole._

_They were 'his'… …Naraku's monsters…_

"_What is this?!" the little girl cried in fear at finding herself so unexpectedly in the middle of such scenario… Where were Usagi-san, Kohaku and Jaken-sama!? "How… how did I get here!?" _

"_NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" she unexpectedly__ heard a female's voice yelling. She recognized the voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, she realized she wasn't alone, she wasn't the only one watching…because Usagi was near, also watching the bloodshed with overwhelmed incredulity only a few feet away from where she herself was. "Kaede-baba! Where are you?!? Kaede-baba!!!"_

"_Usagi-san??!" Rin called out, but the blonde just kept looking frantically around, as if she didn't see or hear her… 'She can' see me? Is this some sort of illusion?!' _

_Then there was laughter…and two shadowy figures that approached them slowly. When they stepped into the light emitted by the fire, Rin was able to recognize one of them as Byakuya, Naraku's raven haired servant. _

"_We might have overdone it a little bit, don't you think?" …But when her gaze followed the new voice and moved towards the other, a lavender haired woman, she couldn't help but cry out in total surprise. _

_She looked identical to Usagi!_

_But she wasn't her…she couldn't be her…and she would be certain not only because the real Usagi didn't have lavender hair or bi-colored purple and red eyes… not only because the real Usagi, the blonde Usagi, was now standing right beside her watching what the male and her own "twin" were doing in absolute horror. _

_No. _

_Looking up at the cold eyes and cruel smile in a face totally identical to the one she'd usually only seen as gentle and warm, deep inside her Rin somehow knew at that moment that, were her real friend ever to change her hair and eye color to match those of this most contrasting woman… even if her real friend did that and then went to stand beside her look-alike, Rin felt she would still recognize the difference between them._

_They were like the day and night._

"_Tsumi…Byakuya… Stop!!!" the heartbroken murmur by her side brought Rin's attention back to the golden haired woman, "'What' are you doing??!!" _

_They didn't seem to hear her though, for they continued __chatting as they watched the massacre happening all around them in detached interest. _

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

**A/N: If you're wondering about the chapter's title, you guys might want to remember previous chapter 31 "Memories" when Kaede tried this new "method" to encourage Usagi's power into awakening and as a result Usagi was assaulted by a couple of very strange visions… (Evil chuckle) …Will all the things she'd seen that time actually come to pass? On the other hand, while all this stuff was happening in Sesshoumaru's group you didn't REALLY think Naraku was gonna just stay there and sit for too long, did you? …Here you have him back in all his glory. **

**Anyway…Okay; we'll leave this chapter here and move the rest of the action onto the next, so as not to leave you guys hanging… with the previous chapter, "Barbecue", I mean. If I kept writing it all in this chapter, between corrections and rewriting and stuff it would take me a lot longer to upload this chapter… Thus I leave it here, so I can post this chapter immediately.**


	52. Sixth Sense

_Disclaimer: Takeuchi Naoko is the owner of Sailor Moon; Takahashi Rumiko is the owner of Inuyasha._

Chapter Fifty One.

'Sixth Sense'

_It was the vision of a village… in flames. She was right in the middle of it, standing on the blood soaked ground; the only silent, passive spectator of the massacre perpetuated by hundreds and hundreds of lesser youkai monsters, while peasants ran away screaming in sheer terror left and right. _

…_She remembered those monsters; they were the same kinds of monsters that had surrounded the palace where she'd been held captive when Kagura kidnapped her, that time when Naraku had tried to lure Lord Sesshoumaru into a trap in order to devour him whole._

_They were 'his'… …Naraku's monsters…_

"_What is this?!" the little girl cried in fear at finding herself so unexpectedly in the middle of such scenario… Where were Usagi-san, Kohaku and Jaken-sama!? "How… how did I get here!?" _

"_NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" she unexpectedly heard a female's voice yelling. She recognized the voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, she realized she wasn't alone, she wasn't the only one watching…because Usagi was near; also watching the bloodshed with overwhelmed incredulity only a few feet away from where she herself was. _

* * *

"So tell me, Totosai… you can't fix it?" At the top of the mountain, Sesshoumaru had gotten tired of the weapon-smith's endless blabbering and cut in to ask this. 

"I'm afraid I can't" the other demon admitted. "Perhaps, if I see this woman you're talking about, I might be able to figure out the reason for the Fang's reaction" he murmured, scratching his chin in thought, "As your late Father's loyal friend and vassal, I want to see the person who did this… I'd like to meet this girl whose powers similar to a miko's caused such upheaval"

"Fine" the Demon Lord snarled, "If it means this way I will finally get you to repair the Tenseiga, then come with me… I'll take you with her"

"Oh…um, yes" the sword-smith blinked at him, surprised that he would agree so fast, "Just, um, just let me get Momo first"

"…'_Momo_'? Who are you talking about?"

"My, um…my flying youkai cow" the sword-master squeaked. After a dangerous glare that clearly meant to hurry up '_or else_', the Taiyoukai nodded in acquiescence, and then watched him go.

'_Senile old man…'_

He was still entertaining scathing thoughts about the older youkai when he heard it.

…A female's horrified scream in his mind.

Feeling quite startled, Sesshoumaru's golden orbs opened wide and flashed.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

"_Kaede-baba! Where are you?!? Kaede-baba!!!"_

"_Usagi-san??!" Rin called out, but the blonde just kept looking frantically around, as if she didn't see or hear her… 'She can't see me? Is this some sort of illusion?!' _

_Then there was laughter…and two shadowy figures that approached them slowly. When they stepped into the light emitted by the fire, Rin was able to recognize one of them as Byakuya, Naraku's raven haired servant. _

"_We might have overdone it a little bit, don't you think?" …But when her gaze followed the new voice and moved towards the other, a lavender haired woman, she couldn't help but cry out in total surprise. _

_She looked identical to Usagi!_

_But she wasn't her…she couldn't be her…and she would be certain not only because the real Usagi didn't have lavender hair or bi-colored purple and red eyes… not only because the real Usagi, the blonde Usagi, was now standing right beside her watching what the male and her own "twin" were doing in absolute horror. _

_No. _

_Looking up at the cold eyes and cruel smile in a face totally identical to the one she'd usually only seen as gentle and warm, deep inside her Rin somehow knew at that moment that, were her real friend ever to change her hair and eye color to match those of this most contrasting woman… even if her real friend did that and then went to stand beside her look-alike, Rin felt she would still recognize the difference between them._

_They were like the day and night._

"_Tsumi…Byakuya… Stop!!!" the heartbroken murmur by her side brought Rin's attention back to the golden haired woman, "'What' are you doing??!!" _

_They didn't seem to hear her though, for they continued chatting as they watched the massacre happening all around them in detached interest. "What do you mean, 'we'? It was you who got all carried away" Byakuya protested, "It wasn't like I got to do much. Besides…it's not like any of these people seemed to know where Usagi is" At those words, both the blonde and the little girl watching them gasped. "Therefore" he added "our mission here is done… The monsters will take care of the rest. Let's go" _

_With that, both __he and a reluctant Tsumi got on Byakuya's paper plane and left… A disbelieving Usagi fell to her knees, hugging herself shaking._

"_They__…they were trying to find me?! Oh God!" she whimpered "…Oh my God!!" _

_Suddenly, her entire form became see-through._

"_Usagi-san!" alarmed, Rin reached out to her with a hand, only to realize her own hand had become see-through as well. "Nani!? This…-?!? It was really an illusion?!" she said in surprise. _

_Looking up back at the blonde, she saw her disappear in a blinding light, the force of which pushed the child a few feet away…_

And just like that, the vision was over…

…Rin was back in the valley by the mountain, with the others, getting up slowly from the ground and looking at the form of Usagi that had somehow stood up, still bathed in the same strange brightness.

"Wha?!! Usagi-san??! …_What is happening to her??!!_" the child heard Kohaku cry out from beside her, flabbergasted, whereas Jaken only groaned in astonished response as he very slowly got up from the floor where he'd been thrown too.

'_This__ energy… it's so strong I can barely breathe!'_

He could only gape at the older human female for several seconds as the intense light enveloping the female radiated such energy that it didn't allow anyone come any closer or even move from their place; a pair of huge feathery wings sprouted from her back and they heard her voice whisper "…I have to stop it", before the blinding silhouette began to hover over the ground, then spread its massive wings… and dashed away.

Watching her gradually turn into a spot of light in the distance, Rin covered her mouth in dreadful realization.

_She has said 'I had to stop it'. Was she talking about that village? __Did this mean…that the vision they had shared had been 'real'??_

"Oh no!"

"_Usagi-san?!?_…But… How?!?" a bewildered Kohaku exclaimed, staring up at the sky baffled. _'I thought she was just human!'_

"Not good… _Not good…_" the toad moaned, assuming the 'prisoner' had probably just escaped.

"Oh no…Usagi-san!!!" getting up from the ground, Rin ran to the dragon in a flash, "Let's go, Ah-Un! We can still catch up to her!!" Obedient as ever, the beast immediately took off in the air too.

"What?! RINN?!!!?!!!" the taijiya and retainer shouted when they saw what she was doing, the young slayer immediately running in their direction to attempt to stop them "What are you doing? Rin! Come back!!"

"Don't worry about me; get Sesshoumaru-sama! Usagi-san may need his help!" the little girl argued as she and the dragon flew further and further away "I know where she went!" With those last words, Rin lead on the dragon in the direction of the speck of light in the distance, which she knew was her 'fugitive' friend.

"Uh…" Jaken sweated in dread as he saw the dragon also disappear from their sight with the human child on its back, "…oh"

'_This… this has just gotten worse…'_

---

_'Those monsters... ...The__ people of the village are in terrible danger'__ the winged figure bathed in light thought as she flew. __'I must go faster!' _

She'd already learned not to question that unexplainable psychic sixth sense that sometimes was triggered out of nowhere and told her when things were going wrong… It was the same kind of intuition she'd had in the 20th Century when someone she cared about was at risk; this odd sense of foreboding.

_'Like when_ _any of girls, specially Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury were in trouble… from the moment my powers had grown I'd eventually become capable of hearing their distressed auras often calling to mine'_

Other times, it had been them who had been able to hear her despair with that strange sixth sense.

Now, it was the distant cries of the villagers that were reaching her heart.; she had to stop that massacre… She had to. The people of the village…the children could get hurt. So many of them had been so kind to her when she'd stayed there…

…She just couldn't sit down and watch this happen.

_'Kaede-baba!…Ryuji-chan! Saki-chan! …Yumi! …Please be all alright!'_

---

Miles from there, that very same figure was the subject occupying a certain Dog Demon's thoughts, as he also took off from the ground to begin flying at top speed in the direction of the valley.

'_That scream__… …Was it 'Her' that I heard screaming?' _"_**MOVE IT!**_" he acidly barked at the cow and sword-smith following close behind him.

…Something might be going on with his pack…

―"_Noooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!"―_

…That familiar female voice had suddenly and so strangely begun screaming in his mind… Something wasn't right.

Something wasn't right with his pack.

Something wasn't right with his pack and as it was, Sesshoumaru was barely repressing the impulse to transform.

* * *

"Not good…not good!" back at the valley, the green toad ranted on. 

"Mister Jaken…"

"This is _not_ good at all!" Jaken repeated in panic. "Sesshoumaru-sama…"

"Mister Jaken" Kohaku tried calling him again in vain.

"…He's gonna be '_so_'mad!"

"Mister Jaken, we have to help Rin!" Kohaku yelled to get his attention

"Do you think I don't realize that?!?" the angry retainer snapped.

"How do we get Sesshoumaru-sama?!" the boy snapped right back.

"..Eh?!!"

"Lord Sesshoumaru; …Rin said to get Lord Sesshoumaru, remember?" the young slayer grabbed the toad by his shoulders. "We must tell him that this happened, Mister Jaken! We must climb up that mountain and go look for him"

"Are you insane, taijiya?!" the youkai-servant said gasping, shrugging off from the human's grip, "You wouldn't survive the journey, and even if I did, without the dragon Ah-Un it'd probably take me ages!"

"But we have to do something!" Kohaku protested, and then it hit him. "Mister Jaken, listen! Can you summon Sesshoumaru-sama with your staff?!"

"Eh" the small demon considered this, "he's too far, though; I don't know if he'll hear it. But I…-I'll try"

"That will not be necessary…" a voice unexpectedly stated from behind them as a pristine figure landed near, along with Totosai, which in turn made Jaken instantly turn around, squawking in disbelief.

"_M-mi…MILORD!!?!_"

"Jaken" the Demon Lord's eyes gave a quick glance around before finally resting back on his servant.

"Jaken… where is Rin?"

"R-Rin, milord!? She... she's gone" the servant bowed his head with shame. "I'm sorry, milord"

"It was not Mister Jaken's fault" the taijiya boy tried to explain. "She mounted on Ah-Un and went to help Usagi-san, Sesshoumaru-sama… It appears she was in some kind of trouble…"

The Inuyoukai raised an eyebrow.

"And… where is Usagi?"

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: Yep, Totosai's cow's name is Momo; don't ask me how I know this… **


	53. Something to do with it

_Disclaimer: I am not Japanese, my name is not Naoko or Rumiko, and I can't write kanji…Therefore, Sailor Moon and Inuyasha are not mine._

Chapter Fifty Two.

'Something to do with it'

"_How do we get Sesshoumaru-sama?!" the boy snapped right back._

"_..Eh?!!"_

"_Lord Sesshoumaru; …Rin said to get Lord Sesshoumaru, remember?" the young slayer grabbed the toad by his shoulders. "We must tell him that this happened, Mister Jaken! We must climb up that mountain and go look for him"_

"_Are you insane, taijiya?!" the youkai-servant said gasping, shrugging off from the human's grip, "You wouldn't survive the journey, and even if I did, without the dragon Ah-Un it'd probably take me ages!" _

"_But we have to do something!" Kohaku protested, and then it hit him. "Mister Jaken, listen! Can you summon Sesshoumaru-sama with your staff?!"_

"_Eh" the small demon considered this, "he's too far, though; I don't know if he'll hear it. But I…-I'll try"_

"_That will not be necessary…" a voice unexpectedly stated from behind them as a pristine figure landed near, along with Totosai, which in turn made Jaken instantly turn around, squawking in disbelief. _

"_M-mi…MILORD!!?!"_

"_Jaken" the Demon Lord's eyes gave a quick glance around before finally resting back on his servant. _

"_Jaken… where is Rin?"_

"_R-Rin, milord!? She... she's gone" the servant bowed his head with shame. "I'm sorry, milord"_

"_It was not Mister Jaken's fault" the taijiya boy tried to explain. "She mounted on Ah-Un and went to help Usagi-san, Sesshoumaru-sama… It appears she was in some kind of trouble…" _

_The Inuyoukai raised an eyebrow. _

"_And… where is Usagi?" _

* * *

'Ryuji! …Kaede-baba! …Yumi!'

A while later the winged figure that was bathed in light finally made it to some sort of destination, staying immobile in the air for a few moments before she slowly began floating towards the ground in a very subtle motion. It was when she was a hovering only a few inches above it when the brilliance enveloping her unexpectedly disappeared, making her fall the rest couple of inches down to the floor in a rather brisk fashion and forcing her to struggle to regain her balance.

If she'd been the old Sailor Moon, she might have failed and fallen on her butt anyway…But since she was not, she didn't. _It was good to have her wings and at least some small bit of her power, finally active and back; even if she still couldn't do a complete or very great use of it yet._

Blinking her eyes several times; Usagi came completely out of the rather unaware trance-like state that the intensity of the light coming out of her body had temporarily threw her into, and became wary of her new surroundings.

'_Where__… where did I end up, where am I…?'_

As she took a few steps forward, though, the pillars of smoke that she saw rising in the distance, from above the trees, threw any kind of doubts she might have had at the moment about what happened, down the toilet.

_The burning fire…__consuming the village._

"Oh no…no, no, no… Kami…" She had an idea where she was now.

The vision.

…_Kaede's village being attacked by youkai._

Clenching her fists, her lips puckered into a thin line and her body trembled all over with overwhelming emotions as fear and dismay fought for dominance inside her.

Had the vision… truly been real?

'_I…__… I have to see it for myself'_

Clenching her fists even tighter, she started the path that would confront her with the dreaded reality beyond that peaceful grove…

…She never saw the little spot that was the remote figure of a two-headed dragon and human child, approaching fast in the sky.

---

'_At this pace, I'll __be getting nowhere'_ a certain Dog Demon tought as he lost his patience for the others' slowness, vanishing his youkai cloud to summon a more effective way of travel.

"Mhm…seems like Sesshoumaru is not going to wait for us" mumbled Totosai when he felt the gust of wind generated by the Taiyoukai's new speed brush by him, and they all saw the ball of light that was the Demon Lord disappear in the horizon. Looking down, the old weapon-smith sweat-dropped at the great efforts his poor three-eyed cow was doing to keep a steady flight with Jaken, Kohaku and him all mounted on top of it; for they'd been flying for a very long time and distance. "…Just a while longer, Momo"

"It doesn't matter, as long as we get there in time to help in case anything's happening" the taijiya boy answered, sweeping his bangs adamantly out of his sight to set his gaze firmly in the direction where he'd seen their leader disappear.

"Yes but I wish these human females would stop giving us so much trouble to milord and I" the toad groaned from the taijiya's lap. "It's because of them that I have to ride with you people, since Sesshoumaru-sama's once again forgotten all about me. It's not fair that he would subject his loyal servant to this kind of humiliation"

"Cheer up, Mister Jaken" Kohaku tried to comfort him, assuming it was just his master's abandonment that he resented, "We'll be reunited with them again in no time"

"I doubt that will solve anything…" the servant merely sulked in response.

---

Meanwhile, a certain blonde was finally stepping out of the grove to inspect the human settlement she'd used to reside in.

'_Oh God'_

For a few moments, she stood there petrified at what she saw.

Burned cottages.

'…_Tsumi…' _

Devastated rice-fields.

'…_Byakuya…'_

And then there were the still lingering monsters… _feasting _on the corpses…

Apparently, she'd been to late… and the most terrible part of the attack was over.

This people…

…even though she could not spot the children or Priestess Kaede anywhere…

'_Oh God'_

All the way there, she'd been hoping it was all just a bad dream. Even though she'd been unconsciously preparing herself for the worst, she'd dared hope that it was…

'_No__…'_

…a product of her wild imagination…

But it wasn't.

'…_Why…' _

Standing there and seeing it with her own eyes, she realized the undeniable truth that…

'_**Oh God, why…?'**_

…it wasn't.

The burned huts, the smoking buildings, the ruined crop fields and the still lingering monsters feasting on the corpses and making disgusting slurping noises as they ate weren't a dream…

'_How could you two…__'_

The whole scene wrapped in a mantle of ashes and rising columns of thick smoke that darkened the heavens above wasn't an illusion.

It was…

…_Awful_ and…

…

…_Real_.

…So veryreal…

'_How could you two… '__**do'**__**this**__?!!?!!!' _Feeling horrified once again, the blonde covered her mouth with her hands to hold back a hysterical shriek.

Taking a few steps forward, she was stopped by sudden a growling hiss.

"Where is she?"

Usagi looked blankly at her side. It was _Him_.

…_She'd never even heard him come…_

"…Whom?" she uttered in a very small whisper, though it was not a whisper of fear, something that surprised Sesshoumaru.

"Rin" he growled again, narrowing his gaze at her as he stood to her right glaring coldly. _Who else could he have been talking about?_ "Where's Rin?"

"I… I don't know…" she whispered again, and the newly arrived Demon Lord was taken aback by how emotionless and detached her voice sounded, as if she couldn't understand who he was referring to, and how expressionless her usually honest eyes looked right now; as if she wasn't really seeing him, despite the fact that her sight was casually trained right in his direction.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, truly perplexed by her flaccid posture. _…Was this the same rather wimpy human girl that he'd once seen crying and screaming at the bandits, then him, then at anything that merely 'looked' threatening? _Given they were standing right in the middle of a desecrated village, he thought she was appearing way too calm.

It was suspicious.

Besides, _'Jaken was right… …she's actually grown wings?'_

"Why do you suddenly have wings now?" he decided to ask her this directly, scalding her with his glare.

"I don't know… I am so tired…"

Her baffling reply made him pause. What was she talking about?

"You're not a youkai; I am certain… yet you're not completely human either. What kind of being are you?"

"Am I?" she seemed to ponder on this while still off on her own little world. Lowering her strangely turned-expressionless eyes, she simply repeated the same statement as before. "Am… I…"

"Are you making fun of this Sesshoumaru?" he countered sharply.

"I… don't know…"

Sesshoumaru wanted to strangle her. "You are making no sense at all" he told her blandly. Together with her strange disposition, the whole new turn of the conversation sounded almost surreal.

Realizing this, he started to walk towards her. He finally ceased his strides to finally stand in front of her. Glancing down at her, golden eyes met with glassed-over blue. They looked so… vacuous, so empty and pupil-less… It was as if she'd suddenly turned blind.

'_Hn…she's in some kind of __shock' _

His glance turned from threatening to sour.

"Wake up… or I'll make you" he drawled in warning.

He didn't have time for this, he had to find Rin… and this girl was the only person that could tell him where she was.

"I don't want to wake up, not yet… I want to stay in this haze of nothingness…without remembering" out of the blue her voice had become older, matured. It was no longer the voice of a girl; it was the voice of someone who had lived… _The voice of a woman_, he realized wryly.

"I recall you gave me your word you wouldn't try to escape, before I left" he snarled "and by the looks of it, you've broken it"

"…I am sorry…" the reiterated apology, uttered in such an oblivious state, actually made him scoff. But before he could deign himself with a retort, though, something else distracted them.

"_USAGI-SAN!! SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!!!_" a childlike voice then called, and the Demon Lord turned around to see his ward running towards them, followed by Ah-Un...

Likely with the use of his pure-energy form, the Taiyoukai had managed to increase his speed of travel enough to arrive to the place long before the youkai pet-dragon.

"Rin…" the still pretty much in-shock blonde murmured. …_She would have so much preferred that a child like Rin was spared from reliving a scene like this._

"Rin" Sesshoumaru addressed the little girl curtly, "what did I tell you about running off on your own?"

Gasping, the child paused and bowed her head guiltily. "I am sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama… it's just that, that I couldn't let Usagi-san come here all alone!" she pleaded, "I knew she was coming to a dangerous place"

"…Why did you follow her all by yourself then?" the Dog Demon asked her in a tone that requested of her to further explain herself.

"My Lord, I… I don't know how to explain it but, we saw it in a vision! That's why we came…We saw the people being attacked by the demons and this entire village collapsing in flames!"

"A…vision, you said?" the Taiyoukai raised an eyebrow, somehow reminded of the one vision he had had, not so long ago, about a woman that had called herself the Queen of the Dead Moon, 'Queen Neherenia'.

Shifting back towards the secretive blonde with newborn curiosity, he mused profoundly about this. _'Could that vision of that time… have had something to do with Her?'_

Interesting.

Meanwhile, Rin nodded, unaware of the path guardian's thoughts were taking. "That's right. I just touched Usagi-san's arm because she'd started looking very sick, and out of the blue it was like I'd been transported to a completely different place. Not long after that, I was back in the meadow and realized that it'd been all some kind of mirage…but, my Lord, it had looked so real! Like I was right here" she gestured to the scene all around her with her arms flailing wildly, "when it was occurring! …What happened to this place, Sesshoumaru-sama? Why did Naraku's followers attack this village?"

'…_Wha-?'_ Usagi's blonde head snapped up at that moment.

'_What does she mean, Na-"Naraku's" followers…!??'_

…If the vision they'd shared had shown Byakuya and Tsumi had been the ones who'd done this…then why was Rin all of a sudden saying that this Naraku person had something to do with it?

**To Be Continued.**


	54. A Sword's calling

_Disclaimer: Inuyasha is not mine, Sailor Moon either.__ They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi._

'A Sword's calling'

_Gasping, the child paused and bowed her head guiltily. "I am sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama… it's just that, that I couldn't let Usagi-san come here all alone!" she pleaded, "I knew she was coming to a dangerous place"_

_"…Why did you follow her all by yourself then?" the Dog Demon asked her in a tone that requested of her to further explain herself._

_"My Lord, I… I don't know how to explain it but, we saw it in a vision! That's why we came…We saw the people being attacked by the demons and this entire village collapsing in flames!"_

_"A…vision, you said?" the Taiyoukai raised an eyebrow, somehow reminded of the one vision he had had, not so long ago, about a woman that had called herself the Queen of the Dead Moon, 'Queen Neherenia'._

_Shifting back towards the secretive blonde with newborn curiosity, he mused profoundly about this. 'Could that vision of that time… have had something to do with Her?'_

_Interesting._

_Meanwhile, Rin nodded, unaware of the path guardian's thoughts were taking. "That's right. I just touched Usagi-san's arm because she'd started looking very sick, and out of the blue it was like I'd been transported to a completely different place. Not long after that, I was back in the meadow and realized that it'd been all some kind of mirage…but, my Lord, it had looked so real! Like I was right here" she gestured to the scene all around her with her arms flailing wildly, "when it was occurring! …What happened to this place, Sesshoumaru-sama? Why did Naraku's followers attack this village?"_

_'…Wha-?' Usagi's blonde head snapped up at that moment._

_'What does she mean, Na-"Naraku's" followers…!??' _

_…If the vision they'd shared had shown Byakuya and Tsumi had been the ones who'd done this…then why was Rin all of a sudden saying that this Naraku person had something to do with it?_

"Was Naraku…the one who did this?" she asked all of a sudden still in that empty voice.

Looking rather bemused at that odd gloomy tone in her voice, Rin nodded to her hesitantly. "The truth is I'm almost sure the monsters that attacked this village were Naraku's servants, Usagi-san"

"Naraku's scent is spread all around this village like that of rotten carcass," the Demon Lord assented then, looking around in distaste, giving the impression that his nose had seen, or should we say, '_smelled_' better days .

"Usagi-san, are you… are you feeling alright?" Rin added because she'd noticed that the older female was looking.

But the blonde was no longer quite listening. Her mind had been totally, utterly blown by this most unforeseen revelation, and she did not answer.

"U-Usagi-san!?" Having finally noticed the emptiness in her look, the child faced her guardian with great alarm, "S-Sesshoumaru-sama, w-what's wrong with Usagi-san? W-Why do her eyes look like Kohaku's when Naraku was controlling him!!?"

'_Why do her eyes look like Kohaku's when Naraku was controlling him?' _The words entered like a distant echo inside the older girl's fogged up mind.

Everything around her seemed to slowly fade away and disappear.

_Kohaku…_

_Naraku…_

_Sesshoumaru had said earlier that this half-breed, Naraku, __had possessed a human and taken him under his control in order to kill almost everyone in Kohaku's clan… …Had that human person been, Kohaku himself?_

_Oh… God._

_Oh, God._

_Oh God..._

_Kohaku__… _

_Had he actually 'been' the one that Naraku made kill his own people? Was that why Rin was saying he'd once been under Naraku's control?_

_But i__f that was so…!_

_If that was true…! _

_If that was true, could it__ mean that this 'Naraku' had also managed to possess Byakuya or Tsumi, to have them attack this village?!! _

'_Byakuya… Tsumi… one of them…one of them, or may be even both, are following Naraku's orders?!?!?!!!! But…if that is what they are doing, does it mean that this could that be the reason why they did this???!!!' _she was thinking to herself.

Flashback

―"_What do you mean, 'we'? It was you who got all carried away" Byakuya protested, "It wasn't like I got to do much. Besides, it's not like any of these people seemed to know where Usagi is" At those words, both the blonde and little girl watching them gasped._

End flashback

But, they hadn't' been brainwashed… or had they? They hadn't looked like it. In her still rather trusting, stubbornly naïve and good-natured mind, she wanted to think there was no other possible way to explain it…But no; in the vision she and Rin had had, both Byakuya and Tsumi had looked like they were pretty much doing all that massacre of their own free will.

On the other hand, if this new enemy by the name of 'Naraku' had indeed been the one who ordered the two half-breeds to attack the village because, as Sesshoumaru had once mentioned, he was after Usagi herself…then why attack the village, and not her directly? What could he possibly be intending to obtain by doing things this way? Was it that this Naraku actually ignored where she was? Or…had this new enemy of hers done this as a way to lure her into a trap, towards him?

Somehow, she wondered, this whole situation reminded her keenly of the countless ones she had lived before…

Flashback

―"_Serenity… all this that we've been doing, all these attacks against the Earth, it was all part of Diamond's twisted strategy just to lure you in! It's your fault my brother's acting strangely" Prince Sapphire yelled at her enraged "and I will make you pay! …You awful woman!!! It's you, you and the Silver Crystal's existence that have upset this world's history!!" _

"_An awful woman…me?!?" the moon princess thought, shocked beyond words by what Sapphire was saying, "Is it all the fault of my existence?!?"―_

― "_Galaxia… all that she's done, all the innocent people she's hurt…she's done it all just because she was after me? After 'my' star seed…?" This was what, years later, Usagi was thinking to herself after what Seiya had told her. "…Why… why am I always dragging other people into my problems?"― _

―"_Eternal Sailor Moon, the power of the Silver Crystal you possess is what attracts so much conflict inside this galaxy," one of Sailor Galaxia's subordinates, a distraught Sailor Lethe, had explained to her with resentment, "Unless you're gone from here, the wars will never cease, and peace will be unattainable… Therefore…Sailor Moon, to us, you are the cause of all disasters…you're the true enemy!"― _

―"_Oh God…Byakuya and Tsumi…they were looking for me?" the blonde hugged herself shaking "Oh my God!"―_

End flashback

"This Naraku…he… he too…" she murmured as she clenched her teeth, "He too has hurt innocent people just because he was looking for me"

Once again, because of her…innocent people had suffered.

Once again, it'd been her fault.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God…"The blonde clutched her heart as it was once again overcome by pain as new memories of her previous lives assaulted her brain one after another, her shaking form kneeling on the blood soaked ground and shutting her eyes tight as her head shook in fierce denial.

_What was the truth, and what was the lie? Had Byakuya and Tsumi done this of their own free will, or were they being controlled and manipulated?_

_She didn't know what to think…_

Out of the blue, she felt herself falling.

"Usagi-san? …Usagi-san! Oh no! Something's terribly wrong with her, Sesshoumaru-sama! This is exactly how she looked like right before we shared that vision!" Rin's frantic voice once again was coming to her like a distant echo, but despite no matter how she tried, she couldn't see her, nor could she see whose arm was it that had shot out to catch her fall, or who it was that was coming to them running, causing the sound of rushing footsteps…

Everything around her had turned into a blur.

"_Rin! Lord Sesshoumaru! …Is everything alright?"_Kohaku yelled as he came running along with Jaken and the sword smith _"Did something happen to Usagi-san?!"_

"She's fallen into shock," the annoyed Taiyoukai mumbled, when he felt something burn at his side.

The Heavenly Fang was shinning.

_---_

"_**Oh my… what happened in this place? Oh… Sesshoumaru? Who is that?"**_ _Usagi suddenly heard the unfamiliar voice of a very much older male asking._

"_**That's her! **__**That's her, Totosai! See? That's the human girl that broke Tenseiga! Look, even now, the sword is pulsing!!"**_ _another croaky voice (was it Jaken's?) told the other one._

"_**Rin**__**, are you okay?"**_

"_**Yes, I am… but, Usagi-san isn't! Her home was just attacked by Naraku!" **__the little girl's tone had turned regretful; __**"She was calling someone's name earlier. Kohaku, I think…- I think this is Usagi-san's village"**_

"_**Wha--? Oh no; that's terrible… So that is the reason she came here… It's no wonder she's in this state"**_

_---_

Meanwhile, inside her shocked state, Usagi's mind was screaming.

'_Byakuya and Tsumi… is it true that they were brainwashed? Why… WHY would they follow this Naraku person's orders? They were supposed to serve Niraya-sama! … 'HE', and not someone else by the name of 'Naraku', was supposed to be their only master!'_

They couldn't have…'_chosen_' to help this enemy to hurt the people of Kaede's village; could they? Had they actually betrayed Niraya-sama to serve under this Naraku person secretly, and actually go and do something as unforgivable as this? How could they just… betray someone behind their back and lie to them like this, by secretly allying themselves to someone other as well, and carrying out their evil deeds!?_ 'Oh God, it can not be…It can not be, It can not be, It can not be, It can't!!!' _her mind canted again and again, _'…H-How, __**how 'dare' they!?!**__' _she thought yet in disbelieving outrage and confusion.

---

"_**Why won't she wake up?" **__the young boy slayer, Kohaku, wondered __**"She looks so angry"**_

---

That was when she felt it.

Someone calling to her…

'_Who is it…__?' _

'…_how …'_

'…_T-Tenseiga…!?'_

_---_

"_**Mhm, so it was true, then… Tenseiga's being very affected by this young woman's emotions, without **__**a doubt" **__the same old man's voice from before offered,__** "Sesshoumaru…by the way it's reacting, it's almost like it wants you to use it" **_

"_**That's ridiculous" **__she thought it was the Taiyoukai that she heard answering, and from the closeness of his voice beside her very ear, Usagi learned that he most probably was the one holding her, __**"How am I, Sesshoumaru, supposed to use a broken sword to do anything?"**_

"_**It's strange" **__Usagi__heard__that the one named 'Totosai' admitted, __**"And you say you've never seen it acting in this manner? Somehow... somehow it's like it wants you to use it to end this woman's suffering"**_

---

To everyone's surprise, that was the moment the young blonde unexpectedly came out of her shock, her eyes blinking several times before they fully opened. When they finally did, she glanced casually to Sesshoumaru's right side, at the broken Sword of Heaven.

…Looking at it, suddenly, Usagi knew what it was that she had to do.

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay!**


	55. Request

_Disclaimer: Takeuchi Naoko and Takahashi Rumiko are the ones to give credit for this two anime/manga, I'm only using them to create a story of my own imagination. _

Chapter Forty Four.

'Request'

"Mhm, so it was true, then… Tenseiga's being very affected by this young woman's emotions, without a doubt"the old man's voice offered,much to his annoyance,"Sesshoumaru…by the way it's reacting, it's almost like it wants you to use it"

"That's ridiculous"the Taiyoukai said with his mouth beside the blonde's very ear as he leaned down on her to check that she was still breathing, "How am I, Sesshoumaru, supposed to use a broken sword to do anything?"

"It's strange"Totosai finally admitted,_ "_And you say you've never seen it acting in this manner? Somehow…somehow, it's like it wants you to use it to end this woman's suffering"

---

Despite his own reservations, the Demon Lord had to admit to himself inwardly that the old man was probably right. From the moment the girl had fallen, the sword hadn't stopped with its incessant disturbance. Once again, he found himself wondering what connection there was with this odd '_human_' woman and the Heavenly Sword.

She looked so fragile… laying there just inches above the ground, her weight being sustained by his only arm… yet he knew, she wasn't '_just_' fragile… He'd already learned the hard way that this seemingly quite ordinary ningen woman possessed powers unsuspected just under the surface. The fragile demeanor guise might be just that; a façade.

And now, as he held her there, looking down at her fainted form, he realized, once again, that this girl had yet again summoned a strength that he would have thought unthinkable, something not to be seen in a human, all just to come to this place... this place where there had been carnage.

Of all possible places…

And he couldn't fathom why.

Had she truly been trying to escape? For some reason, he could not fully accept that notion: she'd already been witness to his supernatural speed at least twice. First with the bandits, and then with the masked youkai… Had she actually been thinking he would not be able to catch her?

If that's what she had thought, then she was stupid; she had to be stupid… to be capable of such reasoning. However, Rin had told him of a vision that the two of them had shared previously, foreseeing what was happening to the human settlement, and she'd mentioned it was possible that this desecrated village had been the older female's former home.

Was it the truth?

Because if it was, then there was the chance that the reason she'd come here wasn't that of her running away… Staring down at the sadness in her features, he felt his own words in the recent past coming back to haunt him.

_--__"Just for something like this, Rin, I have let you die…To obtain this in exchange for Rin's life…isn't worth a thing!"—_

_--"Sesshoumaru… that was what you had to learn… that when your heart wishes to save a loved one, it must, at the same time, also feel the fear and sadness of loosing them… …Fear and sadness…" his mother had explained, "Your father said that too…"—_

All of a sudden, he seemed to understand.

'_Father…'_

'_Is that what Tenseiga wants__ me to understand…? …To learn of this woman's own fear and sadness?' _

'_Why…?'_

'…_What is it that makes her so special?'_

An unexpected feeling against his right cheek brought him back from those thoughts. So immersed in this musings had he been, that he hadn't realized he'd been watching her from so up close… so close that one of the soft feathers from her mysterious newly-grown wings had come in contact with his cheek in a subtle caress… making him shiver.

…Reminding her of that time when she had also caused him to shiver before, when she'd so boldly reached out with her hand to touch his dark crescent moon sigil.

She hadn't been trying to escape.

She hadn't been trying to escape; she'd merely wanted to help her loved ones, the people of the village she had lived in.

She hadn't been trying to escape. She apparently was willing to risk greatly for those she cared about.

She hadn't been trying to escape and he was …_relieved_?

He didn't know why that notion brought upon him an odd sense of liberation. It was almost… like he didn't _want _her to harbor thoughts of escaping.

…

…Strange.

* * *

_To everyone's surprise, that was the moment the young blonde unexpectedly came out of her shock, her eyes blinking several times before they fully opened. When they finally did, she glanced casually to Sesshoumaru's right side, at the broken Sword of Heaven. _

At the sight of the young woman slowly sitting up, Kohaku, Rin and even Jaken gave a long relieved sigh.

"Usagi-san?! How are you feeling? Are you okay?" the little girl asked the blonde when she saw her blink her eyes. However, just as before, the older one didn't answer; she was too entranced looking inside the golden orbs of Sesshoumaru.

The blue-eyed girl closed her eyes for a while, swallowing. "I heard what he said" she said, gesturing to Totosai, "and Tenseiga… it…-- it talked to me"

Raising the usual eyebrow, the Demon lord's gaze became a combination of surprised and skeptical. "Oh?"

She stared at him once more, her head slightly tilted as if pondering her next words. "You can revive them, with Tenseiga … …can't you…?"

He merely stared back at her. He didn't need to ask who she was talking about, or what she meant by her question of whether he could revive them, for the desperation in her eyes told it all: she was asking him to bring back the people of the village. Somehow, as surprising as it was, she apparently knew, she'd found out about Tenseiga's secret power.

_Had the sword actually__ been talking to her, as she had said… the same way it talked to him?_

"I don't know how you've learned about it, but what you ask is impossible. As you already know, the Sword of Heaven is broken" he reminded her in his dead-pan voice.

"We can fix it" This brought the others' attention. Everyone was looking at the blonde flabbergasted.

"…_What!?"_

However, she ignored the other onlookers' cries of astonishment to focus her attention on the Demon Lord. "Tenseiga… your sword's told me that we can mend it back together, Sesshoumaru… if we just join our powers on it. But I need your help" she tried to keep her voice steady as her tone belied her plea, "If you agree to use it to bring back the people of this village… then we can repair it" she finished with a breathless murmur. "…Please…"

_Mend it… with their joined powers…?_ It took the Inuyoukai a few seconds to recover from his initial shock.

"You…" he hissed and his eyes started to become dangerously red as he wrestled with the enraged surge of his power, "All this time… Woman; are you telling me that all this time there was a way to fix it… …and you dared not tell me?!" He was positively growling now, his voice filled with threat zeroed on her.

Gasping, the blonde scurried away and hurried to her own defense. "I…! I didn't know until now! Tenseiga's '_**just**_' told me!" she mumbled, afraid at the way his great demonic aura had started to lash out all around them. "I would have mentioned it sooner if I had known about it!" she said, tried to convey all of her sincerity into those words.

Yet that didn't seem to calm his rage too much. He was still positively livid. "Why should I?" he snarled, his gaze slightly narrowed, "Why should I, woman, make use my own power to resurrect your dead? This people have nothing to do with me"

He watched her take a deep breath.

"I will… I will tell you who I am" He felt his own eyes widen at her statement. "I know it's been bothering you" he heard her rush to add, "and if you agree to save them I… I will tell you…all that there is to know… a-about me" To his surprise, she looked down; portraying the deferent posture of the supplicant's. It was when he realized.

Offering such exchange was something very hard for her.

'_Why__…, though? …What is it that she thinks she needs to keep hiding so badly?' _Continuing to be rather taken aback, he just remained silent, watching the winged woman kneeling so desperately before him.

Should he give in to her request? Sesshoumaru inwardly shook his head at this notion. He might not know what was best, but he did know one thing.

"You, who have gone back on own word, fleeing away to this place; you, who have so blatantly disregarded our deal… _you_, dare to ask this _'favor'_ of _me_?" He was satisfied when he saw her look away in shame; for he was angry.

He was angry at the way some people, like Inuyasha's ragtag group and even his own wench, acted so much like they felt they had the right to expect, to demand such generosity from him even though they hadn't done anything remotely close to being deserving.

_He answered to no one…_

Then this fair-haired girl showed up in his life and attempted to do exactly the same…; forgetting his previous sympathy for her apparent sorrow at the death of loved ones, he was angry at her now, for daring to believe she could so shamelessly make such a bargain after the way she'd gone back on their previous agreement. But more importantly, deep down an insolent voice taunted that he was actually angrier at her imagining what could have happened if he'd never found her, if she had succeeded in her rather accidental '_escape_'. The chance that he could have permanently lost track of her, had he not given chase, suddenly made him extraordinarily irritated under the surface like he hadn't been in a '**long**' time. Once more, he felt like he wanted to punish her for something, and for the world of him he couldn't figure out exactly what was that grave wrongdoing of hers thathad wronged him so _personally_.

…Which served to make his mood all the more sour and unwilling to grant her wish; the retaliation and cool reaction of a state of undercurrent fury.

"I think you should grant her request, Sesshoumaru; 'might be the only chance to repair the Fang. Besides, the Tenseiga itself seems to want it that way" the old sword-smith chose that moment to intervene, his voice tearing through the haze that was the Dog Demon's mind, bringing his attention back on the still pulsing sword at his side and making him realize just how completely absorbed he had been on the female till that moment. He had even forgotten that the others were still there.

…_What was it about this __mere slip of a human that managed to distract him so damn much?_

"I do not recall asking for your opinion, Totosai" he snapped with his jaws clenched, very displeased with the senior demon's unwanted meddling. Why couldn't the senile demon be like Kohaku, Rin and Jaken, and know when 'not' to interfere?

"Think about it, though" much to his chagrin, the old man tried to insist, no doubt feeling sorry for the golden-haired girl. "If you fail to do it, you may never find out why Tenseiga's been reacting to her in this way, or why is it that it wants you to do this. You might never find out whether there is a true purpose behind this"

The Taiyouka's amber eyes shifted to him in deep thought, He knew he was right. On the other hand, if Tenseiga's reactions, from the start, had pointed to this woman's feelings…what if there was a good reason? Besides, he could always deal with the female later, and if he did comply with her wishes, she had already said that she would finally, at last, tell him enough to solve this series of mysterious events.

He was finally going to get his sword back. In comparison, it was a rather small price to pay.

Scowling, he gave his final answer.

"Very well"

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

**A/N: Keep in mind that this was solely from Sesshoumaru's Point of View. Usagi's and the others' will probably come in later. **


	56. Concurrence

_Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi are the owners of Inuyasha and Sailor Moon, not the author of this story. _

Chapter Fifty Five.

'Concurrence'

"_I do not recall asking for your opinion, Totosai" the Demon Lord hissed at the blacksmith. _

"_Think about it, though. If you fail to do it, you may never find out why Tenseiga's been reacting to her in this way, or why is it that it wants you to do this. You might never find out whether there is a true purpose behind this"_

_A very long silence took place before they heard the Tiyoukai's decision._

"…_Very well"_

_Once they were done with the discussion, the secret onlooker watched how the Dog Demon and the winged human girl decided how they would go about it. He watched the girl try to explain as the Taiyoukai got more and more impatient. Greeting her teeth to reign on her fluster, the blonde did her best to shrug off the threats that the cold Youkai Lord threw her way in case her little ruse didn't work to his liking. Finally, after what'd seemed like hours of endless blabbering, the spy saw with satisfaction as each took hold of one piece of the Sword of Heaven and concentrated._

_Minutes before the power had started to gather, they were all blinded by a surge of silver sparkle: The Sword of Heaven was repaired._

_But the silvery radiance was 'not' coming from the Sword…_

_The moment __they all saw the manner in which the burst of power had altered the blonde's form, all jaws hit the floor in complete and uter astonishment…_

---

As he watched these events through his Mind's Eye aided by the tight grasp on his Crescent Moon staff, Shishinki sneered in frustration. It'd been almost two weeks since his attack on the 'Moon Princess', and still that bloody Taiyoukai had failed to discard of her as of yet… Having the reputation of human-hater he was known for, the masked youkai had hoped it'd take less than a couple of days for Inu no Taisho's elder son to get fed up with the company of an extra ningen in his group; yet there he was, apparently catering to her wishes like an obedient domestic pup…

The mere image itself would have made the masked demon feel sick.

"I would have expected more from you, Lord Sesshoumaru… but seems you've turned like your father more than I had thought," he snorted.

It wouldn't matter though. The end would be the same. Shishinki simply couldn't afford for that girl to continue to live: her mere presence in this world was just too dangerous. She was the only one who could bring the means to his defeat, which was something not even Sesshoumaru could do, at least not by himself… not without the help of either the girl or that hanyou brother of his, 'Inuyasha'; something that, according to the rumors concerning their relationship, would most likely never happen, to the masked demon's relief.

Frowning to himself one more time, he wondered why the Lady of the West had decided to confide in him the news about her son coming across a last remnant of the Moon Kingdom; it was like the female inuyoukai had wanted him to go and get rid of it for her… which sounded a bit strange, given her late husband's connections with the ancient civilization. Shishinki didn't like it: it sounded too much like a trap that she'd sent him to, enough to be the end of him if he wasn't careful. This was the reason, he wasn't going to expose himself as of yet. No… He would send someone else first, to test Sesshoumaru's prowess, in case the Demon Lord got in the way.

Grasping his staff tightly, he opened a portal to the Underworld and summoned one of the most dangerous wraiths.

"You know what you have to do…"

The creature just nodded.

---

_Hours later…_

"May be it's time you give it up, woman. Whatever you're attempting to do to change your new appearance now, and get it back to the way it was obviously isn't working; though I must say I am impressed by your keen talent of adopting new forms merely by the instantaneous replacement of your clothing" Sesshoumaru said a bit snidely watching the blonde from his comfortable seat against a tree deep in the forest. For even though that new _shape_ of hers, as she called it, had settled upon her hours ago, she was '_still_' hyperventilating and running madly back and forth right in front of him, Jaken, Totosai, and the still gaping Rin and Kohaku.

It was somewhat amusing, watching the blonde fluster like this.

_Only_…, she was no longer a blonde. He flittingly took note of that as he watched the now even longer tresses of hair that cascaded down her back in two rivers of silver.

Silver…

Part of him still couldn't believe she was now actually matching _his_ hair color. His ears ringed as Rin's previous outburst when he'd first seen her back at the village, after the sword was repaired, was once again excitedly repeated:

"Wow… Usagi-san, how pretty!!! Now you look a lot like Sesshoumaru-sama!!"

The Demon Lord mentally winced.

He sincerely hoped that didn't mean Rin thought that HE would actually look good in a fancy dress…

…Because '_that_' was what the no-longer-blonde was wearing at that moment: her previous wings having disappeared, she now donned a pretty vaporous, translucent white, ballroom western-like fancy dress…

And she did not look in the least happy about it.

"No, no, no, no, no, no…" they all heard her wail in mortification for what had to be the thirtieth time that day after they'd left her resurrected village behind, and the Inu Lord no longer thought he was the only one becoming increasingly bored with it; but she continued "Why did just fixing your sword make me transform in this way?!? It wasn't supposed to happen!" _'This is almost idiotic… Why, why, why did this stupid form have to choose NOW of all times to manifest?! I thought I had used by powers subtly enough to prevent something like this from occurring… Why did it have to go off just the same?!?' _she privately screamed bloody murder in the sanctuary of her own mind.

"Well, I must say that is true," Totosai admitted, watching her fumble furiously with the still impressive shinning, delicate gown, "Of all the miraculous deeds I knew that Tenseiga was capable to carry out, altering someone's apparel wasn't really one of them until now," he scratched his nearly bald head. "It'd never done that before…" he said as he stared down at the Heavenly Fang in his arms in confusion "had it, Sesshoumaru?"

The Inuyoukai didn't deign that with an answer, but Jaken certainly did for him. "Of course not! That's outrageous! Sesshoumaru-sama isn't walking around there changing people's wardrobe, you delirious blacksmith! What are you suggesting!??"

However, there was no surprise there when he was just ignored.

"Totosai," the Taiyoukai asked instead, "Has the sword been successfully fixed?"

"It looks like it is" the weapon master told him as he examined the restored Fang in his hands carefully.

"Good. That was all I wanted to know. However… do you happen to know a demon by the name of 'Shishinki', Totosai?"

It wasn't his imagination, the Demon Lord said then to himself: even if it'd been for only a few seconds, he'd clearly seen the way the sword-maker flinched at the sound of that name.

How curious.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I've been meaning to question you for some time…" the Taiyoukai drawled, finally voicing what'd been preoccupying his mind, "When I found this girl, right before the cataclysm took place, she'd been attacked by a masked demon who claimed to be this Shishinki. It was quite intriguing for me to see that his staff also possessed the magical technique of the Meidou Zangetsu-ha," he finished acidly. "Do you know why that could be?"

"Sesshoumaru…" the sword craftsman swallowed hard before continuing, "Whatever you might be thinking, you are wrong: I did not sell your Father's technique out for another demon to fuse into their own weapon; I would have never betrayed him like that"

"Then you say…it was just a fateful coincidence?" the pristine Dog chided maliciously, enjoying the older youkai's discomfort.

"I will not deny that it isn't" the other quickly amended, sweating hard "but the means through which Shishinki who was one of your late Father's greatest enemies, acquired the Meidou Zangetsu-ha are not the ones you suspect. Before you make any accusations against me, you must first hear me out"

"Talk," the Demon Lord blunted plainly as a manner of encouragement.

"Um…okay" the elderly man sweat-dropped, "Remember what I told you before, about the Goddess Hecate's mementos?"

"You mean _Hecate no Megami's _mementos?" Sesshoumaru corrected him sarcastically, the same way the sword-smith had corrected him that time. "What about them?"

"As you must recall, they're no superfluous items; they hold great power which could bring the world that we know to cease to exist… They're the original, ancient source of some of your Father's, and hence Tetsusaiga's and Tenseiga's most mysterious abilities, but they were so extremely dangerous, they were entrusted to your late Father for protection so they wouldn't fall in the wrong hands. He was ordered to hide them where no one else would ever find them… One of them, the Key to the Underworld, was the origin of the skills you now possess through Tenseiga.

"Long ago, before your honorable Father's death," the wizened demon replied in all seriousness "Shishinki found out where he kept the Underworld Key, and used it to empower his own weapon-staff. It would have been disastrous if he'd managed to do more than that, but fortunately for this world, and all the creatures that live in it, your Father eventually found a way to stop him, and get back the Key. From then on, he saw to it that it was kept in a safer place… That, and no other, is the reason why you and Shishinki now share the same form of power,"

This actually made the Youkai Lord stop as he was thinking. "So, he stole the attack?"

"In a way…you can say that" Totosai nodded nervously, rushing to change the subject. "Now, if I may ask, what did Shishinki want with that young woman who accompanies you?"

"That is what I'm also wondering…" Sesshoumaru murmured, turning to look at her.

Meanwhile, Usagi was too distracted fussing at herself in dismay, whereas the two human children watched her.

"This is so embarrassing… I can't stay in this form while in this place…" _'I can't walk around the jungle looking like a rip-off Neo Queen Serenity… People will stare at me' _"I just can't!"

"Why not, Usagi-san?" Rin asked her innocently, tilting her head to the side, "I think you look very nice!"

"Thanks Rin-chan," the young woman sighed, appreciating the child's support "but I have to find a way to get out of this dress before we continue our journey, or there might be trouble!"

'_No matter what I do, I just can't make it back into my sailor fuku… argh. Seems like I will have to get used to this… This is just great! I can only deal with it… and hope that this inability to revert back be transitory as much as it is annoying'_

'_However… what really scares me… is the fact that if I've come so close to completely adopting the form of the Neo Queen so early after I awakened, then it might not be long before I fully return to being Cosmos'_

'_And when that happens… I… I will have no choice but to… to--'_

"Are you saying that you will continue to travel with us some more time?" Kohaku question interrupted her musings as he said this hesitantly… hopefully. He rather liked having her in their group, despite her being an oddity.

"I don't know… There is nowhere else for me to go for the time being, truthfully," she replied with honesty, as she tried to reign on her state of anxiety and sat down with them on the ground, her luxurious gown sprawled all around her as well as her newly acquired silver mane, "I can't go back to my old youkai friends…" _'I no longer know who to trust'_ "The people of the village have just been resurrected… If this Naraku person is after me, I don't want them to expose themselves to anymore danger"

The Demon Lord looked at her when he heard her say this.

"I'll hold you to your part of the deal, woman, and interrogate you about your real identity and origins later... but whatever secrets you possess, if you're truly the reason Naraku attacked that human town," he drawled, looking at her intently, "then I've realized you're more useful to me if you're kept close enough; Naraku will come for you, as well as for the taijiya boy, and when he does… I shall slay him"

"And I might not have a problem with it, once you decide to do so," Usagi responded, clenching her fists and trembling in what was residual rage. _'Kaede-baba, Saki-chan, Yumi-chan… Ryouji…' _"I will never forgive that guy for what he's done to many people I hold dear"

For a couple of seconds, the Taiyoukai and the woman in the white dress just stared at each other in silent measurement, before nodding to one another in what seemed like a look of perfect approval, and concurrence.

…And in spite of what some might believe, the peculiarity of the entire gesture didn't get past a currently rather observant blacksmith.

---

Far from there, in another place, an old Buddhist monk by the name of Ungai was leading his itinerant group towards the place where he knew the feel of supernatural presences, such as a huge amount of demons, was coming from. Some of the other monks had felt it too; the presences of blood-thirsty demons lashing out on a village that many knew was in that direction, and thus were a bit afraid to continue, uncertain of what they might come across with.

However, as monks that they were and humans with considerable spiritual powers it was their duty to take a look, and so they would do, as Ungai repeatedly assured his companions.

"We will go to that place and confirm whether these demons have truly attacked a human village, and if they have, we will exterminate them"

"But Ungai-sama," one of the other, younger ones rushed to say "what if these aren't just the usual demons we're dealing with? What if there's something else down there? The others and I, we have just felt a very strong presence coming from down there, Ungai-sama… something that can't possibly be the aura of an assembly of lesser demons. What if it's one of those great, all powerful Demon Lords like the one you faced months ago, to rescue that little girl, and who defeated you?"

"That was a one-time event and it will not occur again," the wiser, older monk growled in ire at being reminded of his foiled encounter with that particular silver-haired Dog Demon, the memory of which still spited him, "As you all remember, the child chose to follow the youkai in spite of my warnings; therefore she chose her own fate. We might not be able to save such demented people from themselves, but we can, and we must save people who're being unjustly attacked by youkai… and if it is one of those powerful Taiyoukai's who's also involved in this matter, then we'll try to stop him as well as it's possible. Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Ungai-sama" the other religious men answered as they quickly disbanded to resume their travel, encouraged by their leader's scalding, reprobating look.

Although seeing some of them still acted frightened, the man himself let out a breath.

"It is quite well that you decided to join us too, my lady" he said to the single female person in their group, their newest companion for a while. "If there truly is a Taiyouki roaming down there, Hitomiko, I might be in need of your help"

The raven haired Shinto priestess standing near his side solemnly assented.

"I will do what I can, Ungai-sama…"

**To Be Continued. **

**A/N: What do you guys think? Will Ungai and Sesshoumaru come to cross paths yet again? If any of you guys don't recognize Hitomiko from the manga, then at least you should recognize Ungai, and his group of traveling monks, from the anime (episode 162 "Together Forever with Sesshoumaru-sama", a Rin-centered one, to give more clues), for he was a rather interesting filler-character.**

**Ja Ne! **


	57. Winged

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Inuyasha or anything else you recognize. __I don't even own my mum; she owns me. Naoko Takeuchi is the author of Sailor Moon as Rumiko Takahashi is the author of Inuyasha._

Chapter Fifty Six.

'Winged'

"Well," Totosai said as he walked towards his mount-cow a couple of hours later, before sunset "if you people don't need anything else, especially _you_ Sesshoumaru," he emphasized at the Taiyoukai, "then I will be taking my leave"

The Demon Lord only threw him a glance that clearly said 'About time'. Totosai internally sighed.

"As for you, my dear," he said turning towards Usagi, "it has been a great pleasure. I really hope to see you again… Anyone who have stayed with Sesshoumaru for more than a hair's breath and still kicking by the end of the day deserve my most profound admiration"

The comment made Usagi laugh whilst the Inuyoukai growled warningly at the sword-smith. "It can't be that bad," she replied giggling.

"Oh, believe me," the elderly man insisted, "it is… If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to request the help of an old man"

"Thank you, good sir..." the young girl said with a soft smile, and then tilted her head to the side in gentle question. "Why are you being so kind to me, though?"

"Because" he began "whoever my Great Master approves of, this Totosai approves of as well," he gestured towards Tenseiga and the young girl blinked.

She was sure she had heard the Taiyoukai snort.

"Tell good bye for me to the children and that crazy toad-youkai of theirs, will you?"

"Alright; good bye, Totosai!" the girl waved kindly as she watched him depart, "It was nice meeting you as well!"

Once she and the Demon Lord watched the blacksmith's youkai cow fly farther and farther away, back to his infamous mountain and finally away from their sight, Usagi thought she heard Sesshoumaru snort again at her side, and began fidgeting with her fingers.

"He is… a very interesting old man"

"For you, perhaps he might be. As for myself, the less I see of him the better," he murmured as he quickly twirled around to walk away from there, relieved to have finally gotten the aggravating sword-smith out of his hair.

She turned to follow.

"Is it true, though…what he said?" the young woman asked in thought as she walked behind him, back towards where they had left Rin and the others, "Tenseiga used to be your Father's sword?"

"It was one of them," he nodded "…one of the two. The other one, Tetsusaiga, is currently in my brother's possession"

"Oh? You have a brother?" the girl raised her eyes to stare at his back, "I didn't know that"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about this Sesshoumaru…aren't they woman?"

"…Right"

For the next few minutes they just continued walking in silence, till Usagi finally took note of something.

"Wait, Sesshoumaru… aren't Kohaku and the others supposed to be in that way" she pointed in the other direction they were going, since she seemed to realize they had already passed the others behind.

"We're not going back to them just yet," was his curt reply, though he didn't stop in his steps.

The now silver-haired girl had to lift up the skirts of her voluminous dress in order to be able to run after and catch up to him. "Where are we going?"

"Not far…" he answered curtly once more, but then added as an afterthought, "I want to test something"

"Huh?" the statement once again made the girl pause and blink, but she didn't say anything else. Rushing to catch up with him for a second time, she figured she'd be finding out what this was about soon enough.

---

"So, what '_is_' this about?" she asked again as they stood facing one another in a distant clearing of the forest.

"Pay attention," he told her solemnly as he unsheathed his sword, "Watch" Turning to face the side, he raised the sword high in the air before giving it a powerful swing, "Meidou Zangetsu-HA!" Not a second later, a gigantic dark crescent-moon-shaped rip appeared in the air, swallowing a good portion of the trees in front of them, as Usagi watched in complete mystification.

"That is…"

"That's right," Sesshoumaru nodded, looking at the newly-made empty portion among the grove. "This is Meidou Zangetsu-ha, the technique that Shishinki attacked you with… the technique I also have with this Tenseiga" he turned slowly to face her again. "I wanted to make sure the sword was truly fixed and that it could still perform it; it's strongest, deadliest attack. However, I also want to know another thing: can you deflect it?"

Usagi's mouth opened wide.

"…What?"

"Can you deflect it?" he repeated, as if talking to a small child, "Can you overpower this Meidou Zangetsu-ha?"

"…Why are you asking me that?"

"Stop answering my inquiries with another question"

"I don't know… I suppose I could try; but I'm not sure. Why… why are you asking that type of question?" her tone belied interrogation.

"Because I'm trying to figure out what is it that both Naraku and the masked youkai want from you," Sesshoumaru said in his trademark flippant manner. "So far, the only thing I can think of for Naraku being after you and this Shishinki wishing your death is if you hide a way to counter back the attack that both this Shishinki have in common, the Meidou Zangetsu-ha… Or had you by chance thought of anything else?"

The hidden sarcasm inwardly made her flinch. She shook her head. "No… as far as I know, that would be a good enough stimulus," she lightly shrugged. Then her eyes fixed more intently on him, attentively "But that isn't the only reason you've brought me here, isn't it? …Just to ask me that? You could have asked me this at the camp…" she trailed off.

'_Hn, are__ her people's recent deaths what's made her more observant?'_ he wondered to himself, _'she seems somehow… changed' _

It was true. After the entire ordeal with the dead villagers and getting finally accustomed to the idea that she would have no choice but to stroll around in a dress, she suddenly seemed more at ease with him. As if the whole incident had caused her to grow more comfortable around him. It was subtle things like the way she lightly smiled and the way she unconsciously leaned towards him more whenever the two were addressed by another, like Totosai.

He didn't know what to make of this; was it because of gratitude? He'd already told her not to thank him: he'd revived those villagers for his own reasons; therefore there was nothing to truly thank him for. That aside, he couldn't decide whether the change suited him or not, but he wondered if she'd taken any notice of it, though the way she conducted herself made him rather skeptical.

On the other hand, now that being with him no longer seemed to be considered by her to be a problem, unconsciously o nor, he'd realized that she was still disturbed by something. Something else was bothering her.

But if it wasn't him, if being forcefully made to stay by him with his group against her will was no longer problematic, then what else was making her unsettled?

And why on earth was her being unsettled _bothering _him? When the hell, and how, had he actually started considering her less like an unwanted captive and more like a member of his pack, enough to show some semblance of _care_? Was it because now he didn't see her like an enemy, as she now had her own credible grounds to dislike, and she'd also officially expressed her own dislike… for Naraku?

…The way she no longer looked like she took any deep real offense to his most crude comments?

Since when had he been so easily biased?

These were all the issues that had the Taiyoukai wondering.

He resolved to answer her outwardly at last. "I wanted to test the Meidou Zangetsu-ha still worked as it should" He decided to come out with what was bothering him. "Not that I find your newly-found motivations for wishing that the vile hanyou be hunted questionable, or your relinquishment of the perspective of a more outsider spectator" he raised his head, "but didn't you once say you believed in giving people another chance? …The opportunity to start over? …Has the massacre on your loved ones suddenly made you change your prospects about that?"

Looking at the way her gaze dropped, he could tell the subject made her uncomfortable.

"No, I haven't really changed my views on that; it's just… it's my duty" the bangs of her hair hid her face from his eyes, "and I can't shrink away from it. Once I find this Naraku person, I will do what I must. I'll evaluate his case and then it will be up to me to decide his ultimate fate"

Obviously, such and affirmation would make Sesshoumaru mad. "You…" he began coldly "you think you have the power, what it takes to even _harm _Naraku?"

She leveled her gaze with his. "There's still a lot you don't know about me".

_Not conceited…_

Her aura exploded around her_…She was being deadly serious. _

The idea truly made him appalled.

"I don't know yet who you are, woman, or what exact kind of powers you possess" he growled, "but no matter what this 'duty' you say is, or what he's done to you, Naraku is '_my_' prey first" He glared at her, "He's wronged this Sesshoumaru many times in the past, long before you came, therefore it is I, not you, whom shall decide his fate when we find him…"

The new inflexion in his voice belied warning. Usagi lifted her gaze.

"You really hold quite a big grudge against him, don't you?" she whispered, her eyes sad. "No matter what he's done, you shouldn't hate him though. Hatred is a dangerous thing, Sesshoumaru… nothing good will come out of it"

"Don't concern yourself with this Sesshoumaru's feelings, wench" he snarled, still angry "you're threading a dangerous path here, woman. Don't presume to interfere in matters that do not compel you"

She sighed. "I did not want to get involved… but no matter what my wishes are, I've been thrown into the middle of this with no regards to my will" she explained with deject in both her voice and posture. "I don't know what this person's done to you in the past, Sesshoumaru, or what is it that he wants with me, but the moment he went after those people another part of me, which has to do with what you would call my 'miko priestess duties'… it has returned to full application mode…it's become impossible for me to step aside"

"So you're saying…that '_you_' will be the one to defeat him?" he quirked an eyebrow, sounding sarcastic again. "The only one who would properly do it?" _The way she spoke, it almost sounded like she was purposely 'trying' to make him laugh._

…_Or __may be even pity her, perhaps._

_Unnerving._

'_How quaint' _he thought to himself.

"I…" her shoulders slumped as she continued, unaware of his musings, "I am tired of enemies with a scheme against me going after the ones I care about," she embraced herself with her pale naked arms "I can't bear to be the cause of their suffering… Others are always suffering because of me" Immersed in her own worries she forgot to whom she was talking. She grew anxious and anguished. "I must stop him!! …I must--"

'_She's definitely seeking pity'_ "What a foolish thing" he snorted. "Sometimes, woman…you talk like you want others to think you're the condemned holiest center of the goddamned world" he murmured quite dismissively before turning from her in a very dignified manner and then starting to walk away.

Apparently, it was time to go back with the others.

Usagi just stood there for several seconds, watching him go with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide, as if struck by sudden revelation.

…It was… as if she'd been waiting for someone to say those words to her, for her whole entire life.

…As if the fact that someone had finally said them to her made her oh, so _relieved_. Not so alone with her burden anymore.

Even happy.

Just what she needed. _Incredible…_

He was right; he was absolutely right.

The irony…

For the first time in her life, someone had told her that, what she did _not_ need to be. Feeling in a better kind of spirits now, as she followed, she couldn't help but smile at his back.

It was already sunset.

---

It was early into the night when, a few hours later, the group of traveling monks with their companion miko made their way inside the village, inspecting their surroundings, some of them still somewhat fearfully.

There didn't seem to be any fatal victims around. The leader of the monks creased his brows.

"What happened here?" Ungai interrogated the few inhabitants that were passing by his group, some of them carrying other wounded, tired-looking people. One of the ones being carried was an unconscious elderly woman dressed as a Shinto priestess.

"A demon attack, Lord Monk," one of the two villagers carrying the woman answered. At the sight of her, Ungai looked meaningfully back at Hitomiko. "This is Kaede-sama, she's the village's priestess; she's been poisoned with a demon's venom. Can you help her?"

"Lady Hitomiko here is a priestess as well, she will help her" Ungai responded. "It was a demon attack, you say?"

"Lots of them, Houshi-sama…" the other peasant who'd been helping carry the old lady replied, looking very tired. Meanwhile, they had laid the older woman on the ground and let the younger miko come to tend to her. "They came out of nowhere, thousands of them. We didn't have the time to defend ourselves"

"Then how come there aren't any dead people around? Have they already been buried?"

"That's the strangest thing" the first one interjected, "after the demons were gone, there were so very few survivors… I was one of them. I looked all around me, and all around me all of the others were dead, but then…" he let out a breath, not sure if they would believe him.

"Then what?" the wizened monk prompted.

"There was this huge, intense light covering the entire village… I just had to shield my eyes, it was so bright!" the man exclaimed, mystified. "When I looked again, the dead people were all standing up, like nothing had happened!"

"You mean, they were resurrected… by a great light?" the monk questioned, dumbfounded. _Was this light what some of his partners had felt, that greater youkai presence?_ "Where was it coming from?" he asked, worried.

"I… I don't know" the villager admitted. "I just saw… all that I could see was this group of people, a winged woman… and when the light was gone, her hair and clothes had changed!"

"…A winged woman?" the Shinto priestess, Hitomiko, paused for a moment in tending to the older one on the ground before her to stare up at the three men rather peculiarly.

They all stared back at her, the two peasants nodding whilst the monk stayed silent, till she finally asked.

"…What did that winged woman look like?"

**To Be Continued. **

**A/N: ****Another chapter that requests your true honest opinions, I had to rewrite it almost twenty times this time (resigned sigh).**


	58. Enchantress

_Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN Sailor Moon, she owns me, seriously. Naoko Takeuchi… this is your entire fault! Yours and __Takahashi Rumiko's… why did you two have to create such great anime/mangas? …Now I'm obsessed! cries :P_

Chapter Fifty Seven.

'Enchantress'

"Usagi-san, will you listen to the Star Locket's song with me before I fall asleep?" the little girl asked as she leaned to lie down next to the older female.

"Oh? You really like that melody, don't you, Rin-chan?" the girl in the dress asked playfully.

"Hai! It's so calming, like a lullaby!" the child giggled, also in a good disposition for playfulness before bed-time.

"Alright; lie down and close your eyes, I will let it play for you…"

As he watched the silver haired girl lull the little girl to sleep as she hummed to the pace of the Star Locket's song, the Taiyoukai couldn't help but once again notice how perfectly in synch those two could look together. It was as if they knew they spoke the same language.

Females…

However, as he watched the way in which the woman's hair looked like pure snow under the subtle rays of the moonlight, he once more felt himself begin to be filled with the undercurrents of his growing uncertainty.

_--__"What a foolish thing," he snorted. "Sometimes, woman…you talk like you want others to think you're the condemned holiest center of the goddamned world"_

He didn't know why he had said that. It had just rolled out of his mouth. He did not know what had compelled him to say it… The way the Fang of Heaven once again was pulsing at his hip, sensing her distress; had the way it'd just start to drive him crazy been the cause he'd said those words? And once again, his crude words had failed to turn her against him, quite the contrary; the moment they were out of his mouth and he turned his back on her, he sensed the previous stress slowly ebbing out of her body… As if those very same words had caused it.

…Once again, she had puzzled him; he had been more of expecting, waiting for the opposite reaction…

_--__"Your friend is right, you're far too trusting"_

"_I know" it sounded almost as if she'd been expecting his words "though it is by choice"_

_The statement intrigued him. "How so?"_

"_I want to believe in everyone… that everyone has hope. Have faith in the inner goodness of people…that no matter where it may lay hidden, it is always possible to start over"—_

What was it with his mere slip of a female that she no longer seemed to be even _trying _not to take offense or hold any grudge against him, no matter what he said? Not long ago, he would have chalked it up still to that same old manifestation of weakness in her character, the same god awfully annoying gullibility she'd showed since the early beginnings of their acquaintance; but _now_…

_--"And I might have no problem with it, once you decide to do it. I will never forgive that guy for what he's done to people I care about"--_

Now, things were somehow different. He knew she was pretty much capable of feelings of hurt and insult enough to birth hatred; the way she'd said she might not have a problem with him slaying Naraku after what he'd done to her people, proved to him that it was so; thus she wasn't dense or intellectually damaged enough not to recognize the undeniable evidence of the presence of true evil and ill will against her when it stood right before her… she wasn't blind not to see the world was not always as good and perfect as she would have liked to imagine… that _not_ _everyone was inherently good_.

Yet the evidence hadn't been enough for her to allow herself the feeling of hatred, ironically. When he'd reminded her of her own recently-manifested verbal expressions of rage against the hanyou, she had felt ashamed, of all things. He couldn't understand it. She'd spoken about duty and a miko's obligation to protect, but the way she'd dropped her gaze and the unmistakable way she smelled right then had clearly told him she felt ashamed about what she'd said and was struggling to come to terms with a manner to reconcile the feelings of rage, and her good old beliefs, with her own new decision to go look for Naraku beside him. Like there was even the need.

And the question that'd come to his mind at the time was,

… …_Why bother?_

_Why__ the shame? _

_Why not allow her anger to guiltlessly grow into hatred? Specially when due to the enemies' actions, it was more than justified? _It'd all sounded as if she did not wish to admit that she could feel hatred…

However…

…could anger and resentment, just by themselves, truly be called something as stronger as hatred?

_--__"Your friend is right, you're far too trusting"_

"_I know" it sounded almost as if she'd been expecting his words "though it is by choice"—_

Choice…

_--"I can't bear to be the cause of their suffering… Others are always suffering because of me__; I must stop him!!"--_

It'd been almost as if...she was _choosing_ to blame herself instead of fully indulging in the option of hating. …Something about the way she'd seemed to blame the entire incident with the village on herself had truly irked him for some reason. Not only because it appeared like wallowing in self-pity, a thing which he loathed, but also because blaming oneself for someone else's actions was foolish; it was useless. Didn't change the past or what had happened …so what was the use of it?

He knew that from personal experience.

…That's what he would have wanted to think.

He would have wanted to think that the painful truth that he'd always been invisible, rather unworthy and insignificant before his Father's eyes hadn't been his fault, but his Father's. However, deep down he knew that he had never believed it.

Otherwise, how could he have hated his hanyou of a brother, Inuyasha, so much?

_--"No matter what he's done, Sesshoumaru, you shouldn't hate him… Hatred is a dangerous thing. … Nothing good will come out of it"—_

Raising his head to look up at the moon, he remembered the similar words he'd heard coming from his mother's lips not long ago, that time when Rin's life had almost been stolen.

_--"__Fear and loneliness, Sesshoumaru… your Father spoke about them … Tenseiga is a healing sword… even when used as a weapon, you must learn to cherish the value of life… and harbor a compassionate heart when sending your enemies towards Death"—_

Fear and loneliness…

Compassionate heart… for an _enemy_…

'_Father… have I finally understood it? Is this w__hat you wanted me to understand…Is having experienced loss and despair supposed to teach me to hold a compassionate heart for even those I wish to slain?' _

But how… how did Rin's almost death lead to him feeling compassion for his enemies. That was something he could not yet comprehend.

_--"You shouldn't hate him, Sesshoumaru…"—_

_--"Hatred is a dangerous thing"—_

The words that the silver haired girl had whispered, echoing through his mind, made him take this new decision:

The sword reacted to her sadness.

His Father approved of her…

Because of that little trait, everything that she did and said greatly impacted on him.

_--"Whoever my Great Master approves of, this Totosai approves of as well"--_

It was only for that reason… wasn't it? He was restless, because his Father approved of her… because his spirit thought there was something she could teach him?

His Father approved of her, and the while affair was beginning to turn into an unnerving puzzle, it was a puzzle that he wanted to solve; that he _would _solve, in due time…

The Inu Lord shook his head; he certainly was feeling strange tonight. All of a sudden, he was feeling awfully tired.

Even thinking of these things, was taking a great effort.

Deeply immersed in these thoughts, he didn't even notice when he unexpectedly dozed off after he closed his eyes.

Lulled to sleep by the silver haired girl's singing.

Like slowly drawn into her spell.

---

_--__Once upon a time, long ago, people say, there were a father and child, the King and Prince of a faraway land who did not have anything in common. This was, at least, what the child believed; so he yearned with all of his soul that he would be able to overcome this, to show that he was worthy and be able to become like his father. He would dream all the time with the day when he'd be an adult and become what he thought that everyone in their court was wishing; to make his father, the King, proud once he finally managed to resemble his vast greatness… _

…_So it was that one day the child gathered enough courage and decided to go roam the lands of the kingdom with his father. _

_One day, the Prince came up with a __quite singular question. _

"_Tell me, Father, what is hatred?" the young __Prince asked this of his sire one of those nights when the two had gone out patrolling, holding his breath in as the two of them had leaned down to sit and look up at the full moon. _

_The King__'s gaze became frowned and then looked at his son inquisitively. "Hatred is… desire for revenge, when you feel that someone has given up reconciling their differences with you, and chosen to make you suffer… Hatred is the lack of compassion; it's when you want others to hurt as much as you do, because you're overwhelmed by sadness"_

_Hearing this, the young Prince__ blinked. "Is that so? But if someone's done something to hurt me that deeply… how can I not wish for that other to feel the same, so he can understand it?" _

"_Because," the father said, "there is always another way; a path to reconcile those feelings…, …the right choice. And I believe, son… someday you will understand…; that you will find it._

"_You, my son… someday, you will be the on to find it"_

_But it wasn't till many years later, and when the father was dead and the son in turn had become the new monarch, that the Prince at last understood the meaning behind the words of 'right choice' that his father, the old King, had once upon a time spoken… --_

_-------------------------------------_

_**THE SEDUCTRESS**_

_It was quite a few hours later into the night that Sesshoumaru was raised__ back into awareness. He didn't know what had called to him, nor had he had any recollection of falling asleep. Blinking hard to get the veil of slumber out of his eyes, he looked all around him and saw mist. All that he could see surrounding him was the darkness and fog covering that pat of the forest; but he was alone. This wasn't the place where he and the others had set camp for the night. _

…_Where were the others?_

_Looking up at the sky, he saw the full moon coming out of the clouds, giving off its mystical shine, but there was something wrong with it; the moon was…_

…_Grey?_

_What was happening? 'Is this a dream?' he thought to himself. The only time before that he recalled to have had a similar experience, of unexpectedly finding himself in an unknown place, without recollection of how he had gotten there, was when he'd had that vision about that woman named Neherenia… It couldn't be a dream... he wasn't one to dream, the scarce moments that he slept._

_He heard a sound close by._

_Rising up from__ his resting place he immediately tensed, once again expecting unwelcome company. Getting up to his feet, his hand automatically reached to his side for Tenseiga, decided to send whoever it was that had decided to mess with his mind this time, directly to the Underworld. _

_The sound was heard again, and it sounded like… chains?_

_Squinting__ he made out something out there in the middle of the denseness of the foliage and thick vegetation, and walking slowly closer, he eventually was able to distinguish a transparent see-through ghost with black feathery wings, who had its back towards him as it was leaning down to peer at the face of another dangling shadow before them. As if alerted to his presence, the ghost briskly ceased its staring of the other one to turn around and he was met with the silver eyes and grayish loose hair of a woman with black wings; but before he could see anything else, the ghost faded away leaving only he alone with the dangling shadow._

_The moon became brighter, and Sesshoumaru was finally made allowed to see who the dangling shadowy figure was. He immediately recognized the silver hair and fair skin…_

_The one named __Usagi._

_What was she doing here?_

_Studying her __stringed up form he noticed that her white winged, currently nude body that was only covered by her hair, was being held up with her arms outstretched by some kind of chains and handcuffs around her wrists… even though the chains weren't fastened to anything… they were just __**there**__, like materializing out of nothing._

"_Woman…" he tried to call her, though her eyes did not open._

"_She can't hear you… she's too much out of it," a feminine voice said near him, making him turn to the side._

_It was the black winged ghost from before… the woman with the loose grey hair, black feathery wings and brilliant silver eyes. She looked like an older Usagi… and she was giving him a faint smile. _

"_Have you done this to her?" he questioned, wary of who this woman might be, who looked so much like the other one with white wings hanging right there before them. _

_The ghost's smile widened a little. "In a way, yes. It's been my absence what's let it come to this," gesturing towards the handcuffs, she continued. "These are the chains of fate… that is why they're of a red color like blood"_

"_What are you?" the Demon Lord demanded, not willing to put up with any nonsense, "You have no scent or aura and your form is translucent, like a projected illusion" Not even the spirits of the dead could hide their auras from one such as he, so what was she? _

_It was like she wasn't even there._

_The grey-haired, silver-eyed apparition slightly skewed her head. "I am the one who's suppressing her powers, because she really doesn't want to leave here… I am the last hidden facet of the moon, the ultimate secret, third and last part that Usagi has yet to see; I am neither good nor evil… Together with Darkness, the two of us form a triad. I am the only one who can break those chains… but for that, I need you to nurture me, Sesshoumaru…" she raised her head and stared intensely at him, her tone enigmatically questioning "…Will you nurture me?" _

"…_Who are you?" _

"_You may call me… … Serena…"_

---

With that farewell prior to depart, the Demon Lord was startled awake.

…

…_Finally._

**To Be Continued. **

**A/N: W****eird chapter, I know. I'm kinda trying a new path; this wasn't supposed to happen till much later, but I decided to give you guys a little taste before continuing, to give you a hint of what's going to eventually come. Besides… this way things that happened in the first chapters of the story have finally become a lot clearer now, haven't they? (Regarding the encounter between Kikyo and the black winged woman) You guys tell me how you liked it… Don't worry, though; the next chapters will continue the same line as before, sort of; we'll learn more about Serena/Usagi's point of view and see her do a few of things unexpected. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of this 'grey-haired beauty' not too much later on… (Amused winks)**

**So tell me what you think!**


	59. Moonlight

_Disclaimer: If you think I own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon, you're mistaken…Takahashi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko are the ones that do that. _

Chapter Fifty Eight.

'Moonlight'

_--__"…Will you nurture me?"_

"_You may call me… …Serena…"—_

Serena…

With a hitched breath, the Taiyoukai opened his eyes. Looking at his surroundings, he saw the others lying around, sleeping.

It was still night.

And he realized then what had happened to him.

Another vision…

'_What is the meaning of this?!' _Sesshoumaru thought angrily to himself after he woke up, _'Was she actually trying to pull something?!'_

Flustered beyond what he would have wanted to admit, he gazed to his side towards the place were _she _and Rin were sleeping; the child gently wrapped in the numerous folds and layers of the older female's pristine dress like a baby tucked in soft warm bed sheets.

He didn't like playing this sort of games… he detested being subjugated to any form of manipulation. The woman in the dream, she'd looked exactly like _her_…

…And what did she mean by _nurture her_? Did she have any other secret agenda she was keeping from him? His golden orbs narrowed on her.

..Perhaps, he thought sourly, he'd done wrong in beginning to trust her…

---

"How is she, Hitomiko?" the wizened monk, Ungai-sama asked as he entered the hut where the young miko was attending to the convalescent older priestess.

"She's still feverish, but she's doing a lot better now, I believe; though she still hasn't woken up yet, she has reacted favorably to my medicinal herbs"

The older man nodded. "That's good to hear… Will you stay up all night watching her?"

"Yes, I will. She's not received a great amount of poison; however…" she leaned down to pull the blanket further up to the unconscious priestess' shoulders, so it would keep her warm, "I've never seen demon venom quite like this: such a small amount of it has made so much damage over the human body… as if it was corrosive," she murmured in deep thought, looking down at the older priestess' resting face, "The villagers that showed me to her hut told me her name is Kaede…she is so old, Ungai-sama… why would a demon even bother to attach an old lady like her, only to leave her for dead instead of devouring her unconscious body? She keeps murmuring names in her sleep…" she explained in wonder, "Something about a person named 'Usagi', mostly, but also about someone called 'Naraku'," she looked up at the monk, "Do you think those could be the names of some of the demons that participated? The second name, 'Naraku'…" she trailed off in a whisper.

"I know, I understand your concern. The name 'Naraku' means 'Hell'… certainly fit for the name of a very spiteful youkai, capable of misdeeds like this one," his lips puckered, "This is why the other monks and myself will stay up all night as well, placing wards. This town's suffered enough; they don't need a second demon attack to happen after dark"

"I still don't understand it," the miko mumbled, stricken. "There's just no logic to it at all. …Why attack this village? …What could they possibly have been looking for? Why kill all the villagers, only to bring them back to life afterwards?" she bit her lip, glancing down as she shook her head with contrariety, "I truly don't know… We were worried that corrupted youkai spirits had done this in order to take over the bodies of the villagers after they'd killed them, to use them to do something despicable… but even though we checked many of the inhabitants many times, we haven't been able to find any signs of demonic possession. I just… I truly don't know what to make of this, Ungai-sama; to my knowledge, youkai have never quite behaved in this manner before"

The monk held in a breath at the silent question, "Whatever happened here, though, all that we can be sure of is it must have something to do with the three peculiar beings that were seen after the attack, at the moment the people were resurrected"

"You mean, that winged woman those two mentioned earlier?"

"Yes, but also the other two: the old man in a three-eyed cow, and the Chinese-looking war lord with silver hair and the appearance of an aristocrat…demons all of them, without a doubt," Ungai's jaw clenched, "What's more, the second one's description's, that of the war lord accurately matches the one of a being I've encountered once before… a very powerful and dangerous Taiyoukai"

'_That little girl had called him…__ "Sesshoumaru-sama"…' _

"Is that so?" Hitomiko stared up at him in worry, detecting the look in his fathomless eyes.

"He was ruthless enough to bewitch a non-the-wiser innocent child and take here away… probably to eat her. He was… too foul," he muttered ashamed, "his spell on her was too strong. I wasn't able to save her"

"Ungai-sama…" Hitomiko murmured with sadness. She knew what it felt like, to be a person blessed with strong spiritual powers and entrusted with the mission to protect, yet still finding one self thrown in the situation of being unable to save someone. It had happened to her too; in fact, that was exactly how she and the old Buddhist monk named Ungai had met.

Years back, a single rogue demon's attack had endangered her own hometown and many people she'd grown up with had ended up killed. Hitomiko, who had just become the local priestess, still hadn't known how to control her powers well enough to vanquish it, but Ungai and his group of wandering monks who were passing by had helped her eradicate the menace for good, something for which she would always be grateful.

Days ago, when she was visiting an old relative in another town, she'd come once again across the old spiritual man and he'd offered that he and his group escort her back to her own village, to which she had readily accepted.

One could never be too careful these days.

"But then, Ungai-sama…" she began again, "if you do happen to know one of these being these people have described, what is it that you and the other monks are you going to do? …Are you going to pursue it?" She was almost unwilling to admit how much she dreaded hearing the answer to this question. More often than not, a Buddhist monk's path, and a Shinto miko's path regarding spiteful youkai were usually the same… and to deny her help, act selfishly and say no in the case he decided to track down this youkai and requested her assistance in orde to defeat it; to say no in that situation would make her seem unkind and not caring for others' wellbeing… something a Shinto miko like she could never indulge herself in.

Almost bitterly, she accepted this for a fact as she watched the old monk's jaw become set.

'_You're not getting away with striking defenseless humans this time around… "Lord" Sesshoumaru…'_ Letting out another breath, the older man assented to the young spiritual woman.

"…We are going to find him…"

---

_**Perhaps it was time to give up. **__**He'd hoped, almost against hope, that one of the villagers of Kaede and Kikyo's old hometown could be able to tell his servants where SHE was, but he'd been wrong. So grievingly wrong.**_

'_**Perhaps…she had truly died during the cataclysm…' he had thought to himself when he realized the options he had left were slowly but surely decreasing in number, 'perhaps… she's even returned to her own world, the one she had come from in the very beginning'**_

_**His Butterfly…**_

…_**He couldn't believe he had let her through his fingers and lost her. Closing his fists tight in what was a fit of some uncontrollable foreign emotion, Naraku made a desperate attempt to get a grip on himself and come to terms with the harsh reality that she maybe, just may be…she wasn't coming back.**_

"_**Why**__**. Why do I feel this way; what is this strange unwelcome sense of loss that I'm feeling? …She was just a puppet…" he mumbled, distraught; fingers spread out like deadly talons, clawing at the wall he was leaning against, like sharp nails.**_

_**This terrible sense of loss…**_

_**Just a puppet… **_

_**Nothing more.**_

_**Then… **_

…_**why?**_

_**No **__**one **__**in **__**this **__**condemned **__**world **__**cares **__**about **__**me**_

"…_**Usagi"**_

'_**You made me weak, and then… you've hurt me…'**_

'…_**Just like everyone else; just like Kikyo, Usagi, you've seen as something beneath yourself in the end and chosen to abandon me. In the end, you've proven to be as selfish and uncaring as everyone else and chosen to do without me; I was so incredibly stupid…I should never have let myself become so attached to you…to anyone'**_

_**In **__**this **__**crazed, **__**corrupted **__**world **__**you **__**can **__**only **__**count **__**on **__**darkness…**_

_**It isn't worth to love someone…**_

'_**Emotions **__**become a weakness… Loving someone makes you stupid and vulnerable,' this was something he had always known... since Kikyo. **_

_**His love for Usagi was…'had' been no different. And now that she was gone, Naraku realized… he should actually feel relieved: **_

_**No more haunted feelings of guilt; no more inconvenient distractions.**_

_**He would continue on with his plans concerning the Jewel, as if Usagi had never existed. He would just have to erase her from his weak human heart and mind, together with this foreign, unwelcome sense of grief that threatened to consume him. **_

'_**Damn you to the deepest pits of Hell, girl…'**_

"…_**I wish I'd never met you"**_

_**Hidden behind the door, a girl with lavender hair was **__**feeling self-content and smiling**_

---

Byakuya had come to see Naraku.

Interestingly enough, the Hanyou Lord didn't even glance his way, he merely asked a simple thing.

"Have you found it?"

"I did, and just in time too. Inuyasha's group was almost to the place when I went to retrieve it; it was fortunate they didn't spot me"

---

_(Three hours earlier…)_

_Kagome __couldn't sleep_. _So many things had happened in the last few days she just couldn't find her sleep. First it'd been Kikyo's death and the unfortunate event of the loss of Kouga's s shards to the evil hanyou that had caused her death; then, when they'd been searching for Kohaku they'd come upon a village and heard reports of a strange shine that was seen at night on one of the lakes nearby and they'd gone to investigate, the circumstance resulting in a mortal fight with a mirror demon and Kanna; then they'd gone back to Kaede's home and heard from the priestess' mouth about that strange girl with great untapped spiritual powers who could have been the one to cause the cataclysm… and finally, as they were heading the day before for the place where Kohaku and Kikyo had last been seen together, in order to track down the young now-left-unprotected taijiya, they'd ended up coming across the same village as before (the one by the lake where they'd fought Kanna) and heard reports of human bodies being found in the first hours of the morning with no bones, surely as part of some demon's doing. So, being the sympathetic people that they were, of course her group had agreed to help. _

_But there'd been one tiny and relevant problem: the attacks only happened during the night, so in order to get this demon they would have to pursue that very night… _

_Which was, coincidentally, the night of the new moon. _

_There'd been no way round it: without his own youkai power, Inuyasha was forced to stay behind in this battle; Kagome had decided to stay with him together with Shippo, and thus Sango and Miroku, along with Kirara, had gone in search of the bone stealing youkai…_

_The battle had almost cost them their lives. It had turned out the creature they were facing was actually a demoness with the rare ability to manipulate bones, since she herself was made of them, and somehow like Princess Abi she'd also been killing humans in order to help her sick father, who needed to eat many bones, of all things, to get back to health. As soon as she'd seen Sango's weapon "Hiraikotsu" made with youkai bones, the girl had realized it was just what they needed and devised a scheme together with her father to kill Sango and her monk companion, just so they could take it from them; they'd even filled the room they had lured them into with poison, to leave the monk incapacitated, so to save Miroku's life and her own eventually Sango had had no choice but to resort to desperate measures in the form of a lethal poison for demons… and douse it over Hiraikotsu… _

_Just as she had intended, the demonic father had tried to eat the boomerang in order to regain his strength, at the same time swallowing the terrible poison that Sango had drenched it in and dying… but from the very beginning Sango had known that the poison she'd used was too strong for any youkai bones to be left unscathed, that not even her strong boomerang would resist it; she'd known from the very beginning that her stunt to save herself and Miroku required sacrificing Hiraikotsu. _

_Therefore, Sango was__ now, for all instances and purposes practically weaponless… they're only hope was to go see Totosai and see if he could do something to repair the damage done to Hiraikotsu; though not even Inuyasha was sure if the man would be able to do it. Twenty four hours afterwards, the night following the one of the new moon and the battle with this dreadful youkai, they had opted to wait out for Miroku to rest and recover from the poison before continuing on with their journey, and set camp by the very lake where they'd fought Kanna a few weeks prior. It'd been decided they would head in the direction of Totosai' s mountain the next day, so Kagome certainly needed her sleep, but she was having a difficult time getting it. _

_Why, she thought as she got out of her sleeping bag and stood, why was it she couldn't manage to fall asleep? Everyone else was sleeping soundly, they didn't seem to be having the same problem. She knew Inuyasha well enough to predict that he wouldn't allow her any few extra hours of slumber the next morning… besides, Sango'd been left so heart broken at the loss of her boomerang that Kagome couldn't bear to delay the reunion with Totosai any further. They 'had' to get the old man to repair Sango's boomerang, for without it the slayer was rendered powerless in battle; this was something Kagome was pretty much aware of… so why?_

_Then, whilst walking towards the lake she realized: this was the place where Kanna had disappeared. It was only natural that this place made her uncomfortable; after all, they'd never been able to come up with an explanation for that disappearance. _

_She could still see it in her mind as if it'd just happened yesterday: the way Kanna had fadedout of sight just before their incredulous eyes. …What had happened to her, though? Had she truly gone back to Naraku? Even Byakuya had seemed surprised when he'd noticed she was missing… _

_May be, just may be, Kagome thought as she bent down to touch her own reflection in the lake's water; …may be Kanna had actually run away. So focused in her own thoughts, she didn't have the time even to scream when her own reflection grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her underwater. _

---

He hadn't told her as of yet, but part of the reason he still hadn't downright demanded she fulfill her end of the bargain, and reveal everything about herself and mysterious identity, had been at the last minute he had thought better of it and decided it was better if she still owed him a favo and remained in his debt, till _'he' _decided when and _how_ she would repay him.

But _now_ that _this_ had happened, he wasn't sure this was a good idea anymore…he no longer knew whether he trusted her enough to make any more attempts at any sort of arrangement.

What's more, he was becoming increasingly upset with the fact that he was still unable to figure her out… her very nature, at least. Was she youkai? …Human? …Something else? How was it that a Taiyoukai of his station couldn't realize what creature she was merely through the use of his superior heightened senses? How could someone like he, the pureblooded son of the Great Demon of the West, be so easily led astray? How was it that this woman could so easily make him have hallucinations about hearing her voice when she wasn't even there and seeing beings and things that weren't there present?

His mind was _his_! Anyone who'd dare play tricks with it in such an underhanded fashion would get what they deserved, no matter if it made Rin sad…'_She'_ was getting out of hand, too much and too fast. He'd been more or less patient up to this point; however, would definitely need to do something about this the next day, though for now he knew the two other humans in his group actually needed their rest and causing a ruckus by confronting the female at this hour of dark simply wouldn't do. He would have to do something else to appease his increasing discomfort and anger until dawn.

…That was it; a flight under the moonlight in his true form usually helped. He'd already discovered it sometimes was the best way to deal with his ever present fury…

The light of the moon usually worked wonders to calm him.

**To Be Continued. **


	60. In dreams

_Disclaimer: Takahashi Rumiko owns Inuyasha, Takeuchi Naoko owns Sailor Moon, and I'm not either one of them; therefore I don't own these anime/manga._

**Author's Note: I wrote this chapter while listening to several songs, one of them being ****"Fallen", by the group 'Delerium'. I highly recommend listening to that song after (or during) the reading of this chapter… or any time you find possible… That song is simply amazing, and the lyrics go well with this chapter, I think. The title of this chapter was even inspired in one of the parts in the lyrics of that song. **

Chapter Fifty Nine.

'In dreams'

"Look, Usagi-san! …A field of flowers!" Rin exclaimed with mirth as she ran towards her beloved flower buds.

"Oh, I see them," the silver haired girl assented. "They're so pretty," she added as she walked forward to join the little girl in her seat among the flowers.

Rin turned to her with a big enthusiastic grin on her face. "Let's make flower crowns!!"

The silver haired young woman laughed. "You really do like making those, don't you Rin-chan?" she asked as she took a seat beside her.

"Hai!" was the last thing the raven haired child said before she quickly set to work on her favourite pastime. Usagi watched her amused for a few moments before turning to take the constricting shoes off her feet, sighing with deep relief.

'_And to think I was worried the 'dress' would be a bother… I should've realized 'the shoes' were what would become my newest nightmare… Never talk about walking around in the wild with high heels,' _she thought with a grimace.

She then noticed Rin had turned around back to her and was watching something lying on the grass with unveiled interest. Quite intrigued as to what could have caught the little girl's attention away from the flowers, Usagi looked down and stared at the 'object' in surprise. It was her hair.

"…What's the matter, Rin-chan?" Usagi asked feeling a tad-bit concerned that the child would seem so preoccupied by such a trivial thing like her hair. Yes, it 'had' changed colors, but that'd been the previous day and Rin had seemed like she'd gotten already used to it when they went to bed last night… so why?

"I… I've never touched silver hair before" the little girl said in wonder, still staring at her hair, "I wonder what it feels like… Usagi-san, would you let me comb your hair for you? I've never dared to brush Sesshoumaru-sama's… he said it's improper of a warrior"

Being caught by surprise with Rin's last statement, the older girl lifted her head to throw a rather astounded glance at the Demon Lord, who was once again watching them, and Usagi thought he was looking a bit taken aback. Amusement began to grow then and rise from the young girls' chest and stomach, and she couldn't stop herself from giggling merrily as she was staring at an apparently embarrassed Sesshoumaru who had narrowed his eyes at her as if offended.

She couldn't help it; there was something about the way he puckered his lower lip that made it look remarkably like a pout, and she thought she noticed a faint red tint on his cheeks..

The truth though, was the Taiyoukai was himself surprised at his reaction at her laughter . There was something about the fact that the two of them would turn to stare at him at the same time that he found unnerving, which was surprising. A female's stare was something he would usually shrug off very easily as something of no further consequence, and if he'd been anyone else but Sesshoumaru, he would've thought it was perhaps the blatant discussion of his looks in his presence, the blatant stares he was now receiving, or the fact that it'd be somehow beneath him to say anything what made him so unnerved. He might also have considered it made him that way, perhaps even more so, that Rin would bring up his own words so out of context, for he had never known she harbored such a wish such as touching his hair before.

Or may be it was the fact that he might know nothing of the world's old preocuppations of the female mind.

Such a 'girlish' manner of talk would've had no consequence for him, usually, but his reaction this particular time puzzled him; Sesshoumaru didn't know whether to be annoyed, to dismiss it completely, or to admit he was the slightest bit curious.

The silver haired girl's laughter sounded like the jingle bells of Heaven almost, for a moment there. It reminded the Demon Lord of Rin's own free-spirited laughter. It was like the honest, non-embittered laughter of a child in a woman's mouth, and just like a child's, it was soothing.

'_It sounds… beautiful…' _the Taiyoukai thought, before he could stop himself. When he did, he immediately berated his mind for producing such a ludicrous thought.

Naïve, soft, innocent…; these were all things she certainly was, together with exotic and alluring. But she wasn't beautiful…

…She _**wasn't**_. Besides, thinking of such things was a stupid idea.

"Why you, of '_course' _it's improper of a warrior!" Jaken reprimanded the little girl as if she had unwisely insulted him, and not Sesshoumaru, "Youkai hair doesn't require the same treatment as fickle human hair… Milord does not need to have his hair brushed to look presentable," he finished with an air of superiority, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest, closing his eyes and raising his chin at the two very amused females.

"Jaken-sama…" Rin giggled at the spectacle.

Even Kohaku's expression was looking as if he deemed the whole scene hilarious, for it was quite evident to all that, in praising his Lord's 'great' achievements and good looks, Jaken was consoling himself for the fact that he didn't have any...

...Good looks or hair, depending on the one making the interpretation.

"Mister Jaken" Usagi said then, imitating the way Kohaku usually addressed the toad demon, "you do know a lot about youkai… don't you? Can I ask you a question?"

The toad cracked an eye open. "As a matter of fact I do," he said with pride. "What do you want to ask, woman?" He questioned, calling her by the same epithet that Sesshoumaru used. The Demon Lord wanted to roll his eyes… and if he had been tired or distracted by his thoughts of the previous night, any more than he already was, he might have.

The others didn't seem to notice yet the unusual state of fatigue mixed with silent restlessness he'd been in since they'd awoken.

"Last night I had a very strange dream… I don't even know whether it was a real dream at all," Usagi said with her hand to her chin, looking down preoccupied. The statement made Sesshoumaru's eyes concentrate on her meditative profile with the sting of a thousand needles, even though the silaver haired girl once again didn't seem to notice the sharpness with which he was looking at her…

Here he was, still not having decided upon what to do about the so-called hallucination…He himself hadn't yet elucidated whether she knew or nor of the dream he'd had last night... whether what he'd dreamt the previous night was a figment of his imagination or a real induced vision that someone else had purposely slipped into his mind… …and here she came, the day right after, saying exactly the same thing about herself.

It was logical the deed would call to his attention.

_Was it truly some kind of game of hers?_

"What kind of dream, Usagi-san?" Kohaku asked with a slight frown.

"I dreamt about… a creature… a being the likes of which I've never seen before in my life… It was soaring through the skies last night, under the rays of the moonlight, and it made him looked so… It was obviously youkai, so he should've looked frightening, but in my eyes the light of the moon made him look so …beautiful… so… perfect…" Everyone noticed she had a very weird look on her face, as if she was almost entranced and…

…giddy?

"Usagi-san?" Rin looked up at her strangely.

"It doesn't matter" the girl shrugged, still of in her own little world. "It couldn't have possibly existed, it was too beautiful to be real; I couldn't have truly seen it. I must have imagined it"

Sesshoumaru sucked in a breath.

_Don't tell me she's talking about…_

Not once had the Taiyoukai thought she could have been awake and actually seen him in the middle of that night in his true form as he was flying.

Had she, really?

"Um… _What_ kind of creature, Usagi-san?" Kohaku asked with a bit of dread in his voice as he awaited patiently her reply, as if he already had an idea what she was talking about, unlike the two others.

Unbeknownst to the other three, Kohaku indeed had awoken in the middle of the night to see Lord Sesshoumaru in his true form flying up in the sky. For a few moments, he'd been terrified that the girl with the silver hair would wake up too in time to see it; fearful of the frightened state she might get in or that she even fainted or screamed, leaving only he and Rin to handle the awkward situation (for he knew for a fact Mister Jaken wouldn't bother much with it and even take it as a new source of entertainment). But one look at the young woman sleeping with the younger child had eased his mind and apprehensions; the girl had been in such a deep slumber, it was unlikely she would rise the next morning with the barest hint of what'd been happening above them the night before.

…Evidently, Kohaku'd never counted the possibility that she would dream about it, because honestly, were she to remain asleep as she was and caught up in her own dreams of nighttime… …_what were the chances…??_

"A greatly big, beautiful white dog spirit with red eyes like fire"

Apparently, they were many.

---

"I'm telling you, guys, it was no simple dream! …I swear that I saw my own reflection in the water, grab me by the wrist and pull me underwater last night… and when I was underwater, I saw a vision of the Shikon no Tama, all tainted in Naraku's grasp with the exception of a missing shard, an a point of light in the centre… then I heard Kanna's voice distinctively saying: 'The Light will kill Naraku'… and when I woke up this morning, I had this in my hand" Kagome showed the mirror shard she held on her right palm up to the other shard hunters.

Sango gave a sharp intake of breath. "But that is…!!"

"A shard from Kanna's mirror demon, without question," Inuyasha nodded. "It smells like Naraku even now"

"But then that means… do you think Kanna could have given it to Kagome in her sleep? Does it mean that she's still alive?" Shippo wondered out loud, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"I thought she could've just… disappeared out of existence during the cataclysm" Sango agreed, dumbfounded. "We all thought the same thing"

"Well, it seems we were wrong" Miroku replied with a hand clutching his chin, his ever analytical mind trying to make sense of the last events. "We only saw her fade out of our sight; for all we know, she could've teleported to another place"

"I didn't think Kanna had that kind of power" interjected the demon slayer, sounding a bit skeptical. "Nor can I believe that Naraku would've given her that ability and let her run away from that fight so easily; it'd appeared to me he was quite willing to sacrifice Kanna's life in order to shatter Testusaiga"

"It might have been merely the kind of impression that Naraku '_wanted_' us to receive" the monk reminded them, "since we can't say for sure whether '_he_' was not the one to cause the cataclysm in the first place, instead of that young girl that Lady Kaede mentioned as just another possibility… On the other hand, if Kanna is indeed dead, who else could have given that mirror shard to Kagome-sama?"

"…What about that Byakuya guy?" suggested the red-clad hanyou, "I get the impression this is all a trap"

"I think you might be right, Inuyasha" assented Miroku, "Until we know what this is about, we should all be the utmost careful"

"Does it mean we're going to continue our way to Totosai's mountain?" Kagome inquired, and when he answered that they should she added, "Have you recovered from the posion, Miroku-sama Are you feeling better enough to travel?"

"Yes, fortunately I am, Kagome-sama" the monk smiled kindly, though to Kagome it looked a bit forced, like the attitude of someone desperately trying to look like he wasn't hiding something. "…I appreciate your concern"

Kagome frowned; she wasn't fooled. For a second there, she'd gotten the feeling that something wasn't right.

Could Miroku… actually be '_hiding'_ something? But that was not possible… was it? That wasn't like Miroku at all.

"That's good. I'm glad for you and Sango-chan, Miroku-sama" the miko smiled tentatively in return, deciding she was just probably imagining things. At the moment the monk appeared like he was feeling quite alright and if there was something wrong with him he would have told them, wouldn't he? She was just being paranoid…, Kagome reasoned. Besides, there was another pressing matter that she should present with the others before she forgot.

Turning to the rest of their group, she raised her hand with the mirror piece, "By the way guys… What do you think I should do with this, should I keep it? Do you think it might become handy?"

The others looked amongst themselves.

"I… I don't feel comfortable having a piece of Naraku here with us" Shippo admitted fearfully, "I really think we should get rid of it"

Inuyasha found himself saying the same with furrowed eyebrows. "Even if it's just an incarnation's, even if it's just Kanna's…who knows what that thing might do when we're all asleep… it would be a constant threat. It could even begin to manipulate you in your dreams, Kagome;" hearing this, the fox kit on Kagome's shoulder squeaked. "I don't like it one bit"

"…I-I guess you have a good point" the girl from the future nodded, now grimacing and growing slightly apprehensive.

Sensing everyone else agreeing on this subject she thought the matter was settled, so throwing the shard high up in the air she proceeded to shoot it with a sacred arrow, purifying it and shattering it into a raining glitter of thousand inoffensive minuscule pieces.

---

_--__"A greatly big, beautiful white dog spirit with eyes like fire"—_

The moment she'd said those words, was the moment Sesshoumaru resolved that she was playing.

_--"__It was obviously youkai, so he should've looked frightening, but in my eyes…"--_

Sesshoumaru suppressed another involuntary shiver…

…exactly the same as the many others that she had caused him before.

Intolerable.

_--"…t__he light of the moon made him look so …beautiful… so… perfect…"—_

This was all just a game to her…

'…_She's trying to drive me insane'_

_--"I couldn't have truly seen it… I must have imagined it"--_

It was making him mad and she knew it, of course; all women knew and possessed the ability to tell whenever they had that kind of power over a male… His own mother had once had that kind of ability, and relished on it thoroughly… Inuyasha's human mother had had it too, and used it to ensnare his Father into her web, bringing upon a weakness in him which would later bring forth his death; now he realized that '_she'_, this fearsome girl with mysterious powers and an even more mysterious nature must have ittoo…

…For she was successfully bewitching him.

_--__"It couldn't have possibly existed, it was too beautiful to be real"—_

Distasteful… this was why he didn't really like most females. They were all vain and manipulative.

_Just like __fraudulent male individuals the likes of Naraku._

He was such a fool.

"Is something wrong, Sesshoumaru?" his body tensed immediately when he heard her gentle voice as she came running behind him, clutching at the skirts of her abundant layers of dresses. "Why did you suddenly walk off like that?"

Usagi didn't understand what was happening: one moment he'd been there sitting with them and he had seemed alright; then the next he'd gotten up and disappeared through the woods like the air in the clearing had suddenly turned unbreathable.

…What was happening?

Once she saw him stop in his strides as if forced, his back still to her and his head slightly bowed, she finally realized how on edge he was and realized that, whatever was happening, it wasn't good.

This was only verified when he finally turned to face her stiffly and she was allowed to see the look on his face. His face looked so strained… his brow was moist with beads of perspiration and he was pale to the point of looking greenish, as if he was feeling very sick and struggling with something.

However, at the same time, his eyes were looking as hard as stone.

Something about the whole thing was somwhat unlike what she'd seen of him, till that time.

Instantly growing very anxious, the sight made Usagi hold her own breath in alarm. She immediately ran to him and made an attempt to touch his cheek in profound worry…

"What's the matter, are you sick? …Is something going on?"

…but she could not, for the attempt was cut short immediately when Sesshoumaru's hand rose fast and caught her wrist in a tight hold, stopping her hand before it made actual contact.

"Why don't you tell me…, _'Serena'_?"

The name, along with the constraining hold on her wrist which was beginning to cause her pain, made the silver haired girl gasp. Before she could say anything though, Sesshoumaru'd already taken advantage of his hold on her wrist to push her backwards and throw her off of him, sending her away stumbling.

…Stunning her beyond all reason.

"W-what?" she stuttered once she finally regained some of her breath at the same time she regained control of her feet in time not to fall over.

"Are you going to act, once again, like you don't know any of this?" she heard him snarling at her acidly, "How very predictable…"

"But I…" she didn't know what to say; his new complete change of attitude had stunned her speechless.

…_Just when she thought he'd finally begun to see her as someone from whom he might receive collaboration and friendship. _

_Just when she was beginning to understand him…when they'd begun to understand each other... _

_Why? Why was he acting again like she was a traitorous enemy?_

'_Why…what is this all for?' _

"I…" _'This is getting old' _"You surely must know this is getting very frustrating, Sesshoumaru…" she told him angrily. She just couldn't deal with his rollercoaster of a mood swing anymore… _'She'_ was the girl here, yet _'He'_ was the one acting like he was on his period or PMS-ing… She resisted the urge to borrow some of Aku's vocabulary and ask him what had crawled up his butt and caused a commotion this time.

But she was feeling too hurt to find the situation humorous. She didn't even understand why.

_Why does he affect me so much?_

The Taiyoukai looked at her with intimate provocation and one of his cruel, vicious smiles. "_'Frustrating'_, you say?" he chuckled, then lowered his voice to the lowest whisper, "Frustrating… Believe me, girl; _you haven't any idea…_"

_He sounded almost… bitter? _In his eyes there was an expression that she'd never seen before.

"From the moment we encountered eah other, you've been doing nothing but play games with this Sesshoumaru, and I grow tired with them"

_What? _Usagi tried again to reach out to him. "Sesshoumaru, I..." But the steely gaze in his eyes did not waver, so the girl's intent this time died long before the gesture could be completed.

For the longest of seconds they just looked at one another, each trying to decipher the other one's thoughts.

And……failing.

And as they stared at each other like this: Usagi with hurt, betrayal and the beginnings of resentment if things kept on as they were, and Sesshoumaru with the hardness, anger and fury of someone who thought he'd been taken for a fool by a certain someone else for the last time; unexpectedly the Taiyoukai's eyes became half-lidded, though not with concession…or absolution; but with the air of someone who'd reached, at last, to a long-time delayed decision and were proceeding to tell it with cold detachment.

"You've become too much an inconvenience; it is getting ridiculous… ...you will no longer continue traveling with my pack"

The words made the girl's eyes grow wide. "_…Wh-wha??! _"

"I shall not allow you to waste my time like this. Tomorrow morning" he continued with a tone of definiteness, "we'll be walking the path back towards your village, and leaving you there...--"

'_No…'_

"--... for good"

It was in that moment Usagi experienced an unwarranted, new and different sort of dismay, the likes of which she'd never felt before in this current life: the panic and dread of being pushed away, unwanted, by someone she'd not known how and when she'd grown to care _truly_ about.

**To ****Be Continued. **

* * *

**A/N: Here you go, guys; more than three thousand words… probably my longest chapter as of yet, I truly hope you've found it satisfying. But I'm not gonna talk about the events in this chapter now (I'll leave this to the ones among you who'll be so kind to address them in a review, hehe); I've got an announcement to make: college term has officially started again where I live and this means I'm going back to school, which means I won't have as much free time (Jay's cries in tears) and I might (key word being 'might') not be able to update as often… But don't you guys start having a heart-attack yet! I'm not like, 'd--ng' or something! (laughs good-naturally) Alright, that was a CRAPPY joke; sorry…**

**Anyway, you know what encourages a fanfiction author's desire to keep returning to their fics even after school's already started? That's right: feeling the love of the people here, including readers. So… tell me, after sixty chapters, long and short, are you guys still with me? Has this story become impossibly long, has it become too monotonous? Are there truly people among you that still want me to continue…? (I'm no psychic, that's why I'm asking this question)**

**Regardless of the answer, though, rest assured that I will. For all I know, my muse might pester me and the next chapter of this story might even be posted tomorrow… I love writing and I love this story too much to leave it abandoned, so I won't, you have my word. Just wanted to tell you: to the people in the three sites where I post this story, thank you all for your fantastic support, and for all of your patience… (especially regarding my far-from perfect English, the typos, mistakes and such)**

**Take the 'announcement' more as a 'just in case' warning. Don't take it to the heart cause I don't know whether this is going to be the case or not... so take it as a 'what if' warning.**

**So...till the next chapter!**

**One big hug,**

**Jay FicLover**


	61. Doubt

_Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi owns Sailor Moon, and Inuyasha is owned by Takahashi Rumiko. They created these manga/anime and they're the rightful owners, not me._

Chapter Sixty.

'Doubt'

He still hadn't figured out the reason why her discussing his personal care with Rin had made him so perturbed; was it the chance that someone his Father supposedly 'approved of' would find a reason to laugh at him? He didn't need any more potential reasons to imagine his father frowning upon him if he were still alive, than those he already had in mind.

It was a potential reason and a _very_ stupid potential reason at that; but was it enough to unsettle him?

He didn't know why he had cared for her opinion to the point of _almost _blushing. That is, if you actually thought he was capable of it. After all, it wasn't something he normally did. A trick of the light, a weird coincidence… not unlike those when pebbles happened to be in his hand whenever Jaken got his noggin conked by another.

But we all knew girls and pebbles didn't just as frequently mix.

…Just _may be._

Sesshoumaru, though, didn't stop to think that if it'd been someone else who'd attempted to laugh at him, for example Inuyasha, someone who'd been also apparently "approved" by his father enough to receive Tetsusaiga, then he wouldn't have been merely unnerved; he would've been a lot more than just irritated, and his reaction would've been perhaps not as 'passive'… he certainly didn't stop to think that when she '_did_' in fact laugh after all, he didn't feel offended, or as much annoyed, or demoralized; he might've wanted to reflect on this a bit further.

As it was, to get in his thoughts for real, Sesshoumaru knew what he was doing possessed no logic to it at all: to let the girl go, even force her to leave before he got, just when it was so close at hand --for she'd promised to give it and he needed only to ask it, for he doubted she would once again go back on her word--; to let her go now was like wasting the opportunity to find the final answer to the riddle…and one of his devices to force Naraku to confront him.

…Throwing his chance in the wind for such a fickle thing like a vision.

…Was he truly doing the right thing?

She'd already shown she possessed great powers; if they were what Naraku was after, and the girl left, would the vile hanyou still come for the young taijiya?

He could be making a great mistake.

So… why was he allowing her games to get to him? This wasn't very smart. He knew this.

Yet… he couldn't take his words back now; he couldn't bare her presence a day longer… she was confusing him, she played tricks with his mind. It did not make a difference whether was not aware of it or was doing it on purpose: her presence was distracting; he'd confirmed this two nights ago when not even the flight in his true form under the light of the moon had made him get hold a clear mind. It intervened with his reasoning and he didn't have the time to make it or her stop; he had other things to care about.

She confounded his mind, yet she was the key to lure both Naraku and that 'Shishinki' masked youkai… she was both an asset and an obstruction to his goals.

Once again, the very epitome of controversy. He knew that, in a way, he had acted on impulse…

…That his reaction was somehow out of proportion…

…_Why _had it been so out of proportion?

…_Why_ had he lost control of himself that way?

He'd made a decision, but he was no longer sure whether it was a very good one.

Only the day after, and he'd already begun to doubt himself.

---

"Well, it was long overdue, if you ask me" the green toad known as Jaken told the two human children, with a genuine display of wonder and mumbling, as they all sat down for lunch. It was just the three of them and the dragon, since his Lord and the older human female were not present. "It was a wonder she lasted with us as long as she did"

"I still can't understand why he did it though" Kohaku murmured frowning. "With the sole exception of that time two days ago when she ran off to help the people of her village, her behavior was quite good… she wasn't disrespectful… Mister Jaken," the boy raised his eyes to look a bit fearfully at the green youkai, "do you think Sesshoumaru-sama will also want to make me leave soon?"

"Don't be ridiculous," the servant snapped "that'd be the same as handing the last jewel shard over to Naraku… That won't happen"

"Oh"

"It's unfair though…" Rin said, a bit depressed. "Once awake, she was only with us for three days…"

"…Rin…" the young taijiya looked at the small child sensing how she felt.

"It's just… she was so nice, I'd really begun to like her" The little girl's head was bowed so much that her face was hidden by her hair.

"I know" Kohaku said to her with sympathy. "However, we can't go against the wishes of Sesshoumaru-sama… he protects all of us… He must've had a good reason, Rin"

"Do you really think so? Sesshoumaru-sama… I thought he liked her" Rin told them in a wistful whisper as she lifted her head, looking at the two of them with question.

"Eh…?!" Kohaku's eyes widened for the fragment of a second, before turned a bit red and frowned, smiling with incredulity. "You're just a kid, Rin, you can't possibly know what you're talking about"

He laughed a bit for good measure. The little girl only blinked at him.

"Huh?"

She turned to the servant demon. "Master Jaken, don't you think Lord Sesshoumaru liked Usagi-san as well?" she asked in all her childlike innocence. The toad grew furious.

"That's the stupidest thing I've heard!"

"Huh…? But why? Jaken-sam—"

"Grrr, forget it! Why don't you and the taijiya boy go now to collect our stuff for when Milord comes back? The woman will eventually finish with her bath and that human settlement she said she came from wasn't that too far away; once they're back from the hot springs it shouldn't take him long to escort the woman back to her village… You should take this chance and make yourself useful!"

"…Eh?" Rin blinked again; she could not understand what she'd done or said to make the retainer now so angry. "Jaken-sama, I don't understand...--"

"Leave it be, Rin" Kohaku told her then, getting up from the ground and taking the little girl's arm to help her up. "This is their business. We shouldn't interfere…"

And with that, and despite the little girl's protests, he took her away from there in the direction of the dragon to collect all their stuff.

The green retainer watched them go with narrowed eyes.

"As much as I'd like to deny it" he muttered to himself, "I can't help but admit I've thought the same some times… These two… they're just children; whereas her… she's no child. She looks sometimes even otherworldly… it wasn't the same as when Lord Sesshoumaru let Rin and Kohaku join in our group; it just wasn't. It was all the better that he sent her on her way before it got any worse or any of the rest of us could truly get attached"

---

"I have a feeling… something's going to happen," Hitomiko muttered to herself as she looked up at the clear blue sky.

It was a fine day. Too beautiful.

Skies shouldn't look like this two days after a massacre had happened.

It had been too days since the massacre; a bit more than twenty four hours since the night they'd stumbled upon this scorched township. Finally, the elderly priestess Hitomiko was tending too had recovered consciousness.

She hadn't said much though.

Flashback

"_Kaede-sama, Kaede-sama… are you alright, can you hear me? Do you hear my voice?" the younger priestess asked with concern as she leaned over the wounded. She'd seen her __toss and turn a few moments ago and everything gave the indication she was going to wake up. _

_The older woman moaned before finally opening her eyes, giving the impression for a moment that she didn't know where she was. She blinked a couple of times and gazed around her before her eyes came to rest on Hitomiko. _

"_Who are you?"_

"_I am Priestess Hitomiko, Lady Kaede. I've been treating the venom in your wounds for the last two days; the people of your community asked me to. Your village had suffered a tremendous youkai attack, Kaede-sama… Do you remember?"_

"_Oh. I… I remember" the older priestess tiredly put a hand to her temple, her lips in a thin line as she struggled with a great emotion. Hitomiko could guess it was powerlessness. "How… how are the people? Is it… is it too bad?" she asked this warily and with the eased acceptance of someone who lived in a world where humanity co-existed with these everyday supernatural menaces._

_This was when Hitomiko frowned. This woman knew something._

"_No… surprisingly enough, most of them are alive… It was only some wounded that unfortunately died from their wounds a lot of time after the demons had already left the town alone. But the rest of them… they're all miraculously alright," Hitomiko decided to leave the details for later. Kaede-sama…are you feeling okay? Is your wound hurting?"_

"_A little bit, I'm afraid… but I also suppose it can't be helped" the elderly woman wearily said as she put a hand to her shoulder, smiling at the younger one gratefully. "Still, what's most important is my people's wellbeing. I thank you greatly for what you've done" _

"_Yes," Hitomiko smiled back understandingly "it can't be helped that the wound will probably still hurt in the next few days… though it's already begun to get better. Lady Kaede, do you mind if I ask you a question?" she then became serious. "How 'did' you get that venomous wound? Was it during the assault?"_

_Kaede's face became grim. She appeared to hesitate for a few seconds before answering. "No… it was before that. One of the youkai got me alone, he… he told me what was going to happen to the village, before he poisoned me. He…," she fidgeted with her hands "he's a youkai I've known and been enemies with for a long time"_

"_Oh…" Hitomiko looked at her surprised "Do you think he was the one to organize the demons assaulting your community?" _

"_I am sure of it, he has a great hatred for a member of my family" This time, the old lady's voice became thicker with the deep emotion. "This is… it was all my fault; Naraku was after someone I know, but she wasn't here at the village. I couldn't tell her where she was so he sent his minions to hurt everyone…" she explained bitterly, then looked at the younger miko. "How is it you're here, Lady Hitomiko, if you don't mind my asking?" she looked at the younger woman curiously. _

"_I was traveling with a group of monks… I happen to know their master from long ago, he was having his entourage escort me back to my own village after my visit to some relatives in another town. It was during our travel that we came across this place a while after what had occurred with the monsters" Hitomiko frowned, noticing the subtle change of subject. _

_Still, if this older priestess didn't want to confide in her, Hitomiko felt she didn't have the right to pry; besides, the old woman had already suffered enough and was still too weak to keep answering questions, so the young miko decided to leave her alone and let her rest for now. _

End flashback

However, despite the fact that Kaede's explanation had been enough for Hitomiko, it hadn't been at first for Lord Monk Ungai. Once he'd heard earlier that morning that the local priestess had awakened, he'd gone to see her to her hut and described the entire situation to her. He had told her of the three individuals who'd been seen nearby right after the attack and calmly explained how he thought it was utmost important that they knew what they were dealing with, for one of these monsters, a Taiyoukai by the name of Sesshoumaru, had once bewitched a little girl and taken her away.

Lady Kaede's eyes had visibly widened in shock at this, hence Hitomiko had a feeling she'd already heard that name. Indeed Kaede explained to them then she'd already heard of this Taiyoukai and from what she'd heard she could assure them this demon had nothing to do with Naraku's show of aggression, for this demon didn't care for the dark hanyou and did not preoccupy himself with humans enough to hurt them, unless they purposely got in his way.

Had that been enough to ease the stoic monk's concerns, though? Hitomiko couldn't tell, for the man had gone to meditate not long afterward.

Thus, Hitomiko found herself doing something sort of the same now: she was going to take a walk by herself in the nearby forest, and let the wooing echoes and beauties of Nature calm her recently stressed senses.

Initially, she had thought she wasn't going to go that far…

**To Be Continued. **

* * *

**A/N: I edited the previous chapter a bit because I didn't like some parts… You don't NEED to read it again to understand this chapter, though. The changes aren't substantial to the general plot, just the characterization. Messing with their characterization, their MANGA characterization, was something I vowed to avoid doing as much as I could, that's why this story's been getting so long: to make it plausible by standards of correct characterization… I hope you guys appreciate the effort… trying to think like them all the time while writing sometimes starts making me feel like I have a split personality…**

**Okay, I will stop whining now. TT (cries at her fans' lack of appreciation)**

**Just kidding… XD**

**Anyway, please don't forget to share with me your thoughts!**


	62. Epiphany

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon, and I'm not getting any profit out of writing this._

Chapter Sixty One.

'Epiphany'

Looking at her dress pooled down on the ground, Usagi was relieved she had finally been able to find the way to take it off. It was still uncomfortable though, first getting undressed and then walking naked as day into the hot spring whilst a certain Demon Lord was not very far away, his back on her as he sat on a rock, waiting.

It was even worse than when Niraya-sama had intruded on her bath, years ago it seemed…

However, the way he carried his stance made her think of someone standing guard, and she was thankful for it, for after what had transpired between them in the last hours it was still a nice gesture of him to guard her so no dangers would come while she was washing. It was strange…and somewhat endearing, the way Sesshoumaru still managed to inadvertently be nice to her despite the usual callous content of his words, the emotionless and bored tone in which he spoke (even when he was snarling, accusing or demanding of her, she'd noticed he wouldn't raise his voice that much but use that usual portentously low tone still), and the rough, distant assertiveness of his violent actions.

If he considered her to be a puzzle, it should be noted he had always been one to her as well.

A riddle…

_--"People are selfish; they fear what they don't understand… and that which they fear, they hate"__—_

By means of her relationship with Sesshoumaru, she'd somehow wanted to prove Niraya-sama was wrong in what he'd said to her after her second meeting with the Demon Lord; to prove him wrong by proving to herself she could grow to understand him.

Sesshoumaru.

To some extent in the end, she guessed she had.

Underneath it all, she'd always somewhat sensed it was there… a certain fragility to him that belied everything else he displayed to the untrained eye; yet miko and priestesses were usually trained to have a rather more keen eye on people, and if Kaede-baba hadn't tried to pass this skill to her, Usagi would still take it naturally from her past lives.

Rough assertiveness… which also reminded her of so many other people: Galaxia, Neptune and Uranus during the Death Busters ordeal; even the way the old Chaos had used to be itself, before attaining the soldier form…

_O__f Sailor Chaos._

…Rough assertiveness always implied the wrong convictions; wrong convictions implied past sufferings…

Past sufferings implied fragility.

And just like with Galaxia and any of the rest of them, she knew instinctually Sesshoumaru too, couldn't be that much different than herself.

It should have been strange, still… how despite all the coldness he'd been trying to convey ever since they met, she usually managed to see something else right through it, bits and glimpses of the real him, of what lay underneath the rather stoic mask he appeared to be wearing all the time around her. Usagi knew she'd always been rather adept at judging people's true characters beyond their masks and disguises, and at the present she thought she'd never thought of it as a blessing more than she did at the present: when she needed it so much to read someone as reserved and quiet as Sesshoumaru.

Despite everything, she supposed; she remained quite the ancient soul. As such, the ability was inherent to her character, provided there was a particularly great personal interest to use it.

And, in this case, there certainly '_was_'; she liked Rin; she liked Kohaku… she'd even begun to like that frolicking green youkai named Jaken to some extent and, she admitted to herself, she also liked Sesshoumaru himself, quite. Even though it was Rin's warmth that had always reminded her of her old loved ones' affection, she'd also always felt from the very beginning an odd sense of communion with Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru even reminded her of herself in the oddest of ways: From her memories as Sailor Cosmos, she knew it'd been as well a not so different fragility to her own character what'd made her once withdraw into herself, tending to her wounds in the most absolute solitude and willing to push all her old beliefs and ideals aside in order to attain peace by whatever means possible, no matter if it meant going to the past and destroying the Galaxy Cauldron.

_--"Resentment and loneliness can do that to a soul sometimes…"--_

Even beyond that there had been this connection, once more and in another way, not unlike that which she'd felt when she first met people like her outer senshi friends:

_The feeling__ that they had fraternal powers; that despite their powers being different and never having seen one another previously, there were many ties, many things they had in common._

When he'd told her she would have to leave, she had suddenly felt at a sense of loss, as if the one of the chosen guardian-carriers of the many secret powers still hidden within this Solar System were rejecting her, and it was that sensation which out of the blue had made her feel very dejected, and hurt.

A feeling which had made her realize of this bond she'd somehow started establishing with him: she was becoming rather fond of his company.

All this regarding mere intuitive speculation.

On the other hand, as far as unquestioned substantial facts went, though, she supposed the understanding was because now they had a common goal, and partly because she truly had nowhere else to go…but she reckoned there was also another strong reason. So many things had happened to them in the matter of these very same just three days…

Emotions were born of thoughts and perceptions. Perceptions could be had and spurred in the blink of a second. Henceforth, emotions were not bound by time…

Time did not heal all wounds, it was a change in the perception of the pain what truly did. Time did not cause for feelings to grow either… thus, feelings were not bound by time.

Time didn't rule the most primal of emotions.

…Had Usagi then, in what concerned the Taiyoukai, perhaps experienced a change in perception?

She supposed that what he'd done up till that time to save her life and that of Kaede's people, as well as the way he'd seemingly started to disclose to her a bit more after the incident in the village, was a good reason enough to feel this warm around him.

It might also have to do with him being the first person to ever suggest in her current lifetime that she did not need to be perfect, flawless…

'_The holiest center of the world…'_

When she'd felt ashamed, it had been ashamed for not being ashamed of feeling hatred, but someone else's words, for the first time in a long time, had made her remember what it felt to be told it was okay to be human.

That she shouldn't feel guilt for having moments of weakness. That it was okay to wish for a moment... to act, if only for a little while, as if the responsibility didn't rest primarly on her own shoulders...

It'd been the one thing her past self from the 20th Century hadn't been able to give her: she'd helped her remember how to have faith in others, have faith in the universe; but she hadn't been able to tell her how to cope with her ever-present mortal shortcomings on her own, and learn to forgive herself; for she shared the exactly same burden.

Flashback

_--"__Even though Beryl, Metallia and their minions have been reborn too in this world, I don't even know how to use the Silver Crystal; I… I don't know the way to stop them! I don't know what to do!!" Sailor Moon, who'd just turned into Princess Serenity exclaimed distraught as she clutched her head in her uncontrolled distress._

"_Princess, you're not alone, we're with you! …We'll help you," Sailor Venus told her then, grabbing her by the forearms and making her snap back to reality, "Keep it together, we'll help you through it! Don't worry!"—_

End flashback

Only Tsukino Usagi had counted with friends to give her strength and help her carry that burden; unlike her past self, Sailor Cosmos was alone.

Alone in her pedestal.

'_The condemned holiest center of the __forsaken world'_

For the first time in two lives, someone had told her she did not need to be just 'that'. …Suggested that she didn't need to consider herself, in any way, the ultimate recipient of their beliefs, hopes and expectations.

Instead of being rude , the notion had been ... liberating; ...unexpectedly and comfortingly so. It was amazing how it could so unexpectedly help to truly liberate someone; to just say a few random words sputtered in the heat of the moment…

She didn't want to lose that, she realized, without having had the chance to explore what goods it could have done for her secretly tortured and worn out soul; noticed that this was what was making it so hard on her to let go of the chance of staying by his side a while longer… before she had to return to where she'd come from.

She did not want to lose the only person she thought she'd ever met in the longest time that could truly become a confidant, an anchor, someone she could finally trust the reality of all of her feelings of doubt and insufficiencies with.

…She just wanted him now to tell her why from one moment to the next he was again treating her as someone unwelcome.

"I think I somehow understand partly why you've decided to have things this way. After all, you're right… from the moment we met I've been doing nothing but giving you problems… I broke your sword, didn't I?" she said, sounding like a mixture between conceding and non-admittedly a tad bit angry. It was just above a whisper, but she knew that he could hear her just the same. "However, Tenseiga's now been fixed…; is that it? You don't really have a reason to keep me around…do you? I truly am sorry I broke it in the first place, anyway…" She was feeling so inadequate right then, and she hated it… She knew she was blabbering, but didn't know what else to say, struggling to come up with more words.

_Just keep on with the conversation you've started, and you might find out what this is all about._

Anything, to make him talk to her…explain to her what was going on in that rather mysterious mind of his.

There 'was' probably some way to make him reopen the road of communication with her again; wasn't there?

"However, as once you've said yourself, perhaps my presence could be useful to encourage both Naraku and Shishinki to eventually confront you… Does this mean you've changed your mind about that, Sesshoumaru?" she asked him curiously, though she couldn't stop the anger of her unadmited hurt from tainting her words somewhat.

He merely gazed at her from the corner of his eye. "That is not something you should concern yourself with"

"You know… if you tell me what is wrong, may be I can do something to make up for whatever I did to upset you…" she swallowed hard as she waited for him to reply to this.

For a hot spring, the water was cold. But she did not complain.

She couldn't handle it so well now, the detached air about him.

"I thought it'd been all made more than clear," he murmured at long last, his eyes mere slits, his tone bored as his sight was set upon her, before tilting his head to the other side as his gaze was once again lost far away.

At this point, something inside her rebelled, giving way to the unavoidable, long overdue question; "Are you this way with every new person you meet, or is it just… _me_?" she asked without bothering to hide her own irritation. She felt an odd sense of relief when she actually saw him pause as if surprised.

He hadn't been expecting this, it seemed. After all, for all the three days they'd been together after she'd awakened from her slumber, she'd been nothing if rather accommodating. She knew this, he knew this…

…but she might be willing to turn the tables on him.

Besides,

…_e__ven if he immediately covered it, even if it was for just a second, it'd been there; her intuition told her: the reaction that proved deeply inside he knew he was being unfair to her... _

She felt encouraged by this, if just a little.

_Be brave, Usagi, and just continue asking._

"Well?"

"Be silent and finish washing. Once you're done I will escort you back to your village"

"I'm not going back there"

"What did you say?" This time, it was Sesshoumaru who was genuinely taken aback. He furrowed his brows at her. "And what do you mean with that, girl?"

"I already told you," Usagi sighed, shaking her head. "If I go back there, I might be putting the inhabitants in danger again. I can't do that; even if I no longer travel with you from now on, I won't be going back to that place"

"Where will you go, then?"

"…I don't know yet"

Sesshoumaru seemingly didn't feel the need to add anything else after this, and she finally obeyed the rather insisting urge to keep quiet.

Things were not always what they seemed.

---

Things were not always what they seemed.

Just as Usagi was caught back in her own ponderings, the small talk between them was for the moment left at a pause… and she would have never guessed or found out the thoughts that were truly in the mind of the misleadingly unperturbed Taiyoukai, no matter how much she would have wanted…

Only a small gesture of the lower lip could have ever given a clue as to the tumult that was his thinking.

The moment he'd caught a brief glimpse of her pale bare back as she was finally nestled in the hot spring, he felt a strange tight sensation in his gut. It hadn't been unpleasant as much as it'd been disturbing.

He hadn't felt such a thing for such a long time; he actually had a bit of difficulty recognizing it for what it was.

Want.

And then, he understood everything.

Everything had started to make sense.

…_He wanted her. _

_He wanted this immeasurable and potentially deceiving female._

The moment of epiphany was enough to drive a violent punch right through his gut. Sesshoumaru felt the fever running through his veins once again.

The heat.

The sweat.

Ice-cold.

...The shiver.

…_Impossible…_

It was…impossible.

Impossible.

There was no way…

Impossible.

Impossible and…

…

_humiliating._

How.

_How…_

**How**?!?

How in the seventh levels of Hell…

Fever running through his veins. The bundle of sensations

…'_**how'**_ could this ever be?!

Bursting like a growing bubble.

How on earth had he let it happen?! …Was he… actually _going mental_?

Heat.

Cold.

Sweat.

...Shiver.

Was he actually… starting to lose his mind? This could not be.

Could not be…

Could not be…

Couldn't.

He could feel the panic rising. Out of his control.

It just…couldn't. He was **NOT** a fickle pup to let himself be entangled in such useless, bothersome, _disgusting_ web of emotions.

Yet…

Why?

Heat. Cold. Sweat. ...Shiver. _There's too many of them I can't make sense of all of them._

This was the reason of his erratic behavior most recently.

…Despite how preposterous it might sound, he actually felt some sort of attraction for the girl.

…Unconceivable.

Ilogical.

**Insane.**

How in the world this could be, he hadn't any idea; the only thing he knew for sure was that this was, precisely, the reason why he '_truly_' needed to get rid of her soon; the reason he'd wanted to send her far away… For it was dangerous; the biggest threat to everything he'd ever believed in.

…It was distasteful, to pine after a woman like this!

This had nothing to do with gaining a compassionate heart. Somewhere in the plane of death, his Father was most surely laughing considerably at him.

…The son that had dared criticize his Father's choices

(…Had it actually been the Heavenly Sword' intent, the whole time?)

She was nothing like him.

She was nothing like he had ever expected…

This had to be the most vicious trickery his Father had made at his expense.

The blame could have lied with that part of him that had enjoyed the power over her… a little too much: having her under his control; keeping her a prisoner of his whims and impulses as he saw fit… it was the same part of him that enjoyed toying with his enemies till he got what he wanted from then, which had made him absorb himself in her so… the same part of him that was awfully diligent in getting things to go his way was what had driven him into this mess, which made the affair sordidly ironic.

If there was truly a reason, that's what it could've been.

An explanation for this madness.

From the moment he'd met her, she'd been an enigma… and it'd been trying to solve that enigma that had gotten him in this.

Possibly.

What a cruel joke Fate had dealt him.

For the first time in a long time in his life, he knew, he felt truly lost.

**To Be Continued. **

**A/N: ****And… let's give an applause for the most EVIL cliffhanger of all time! …Come on people! I wanna hear you clapping! XD **


	63. Indulgence

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Sailor Moon series; Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha and Toei do. I don't own Inuyasha and co., Rumiko Takahashi does. This is just a fan writing free for her own and her 'scarce' readers' free pleasure._

Chapter Sixty Three.

(LAST CHAPTER...)

_**Insane.**_

_How in the world this could be, he hadn't any idea; the only thing he knew for sure was that this was, precisely, the reason why he 'truly' needed to get rid of her soon; the reason he'd wanted to send her far away… For it was dangerous; the biggest threat to everything he'd ever believed in._

_…It was distasteful, to pine after a woman like this!_

_This had nothing to do with gaining a compassionate heart. Somewhere in the plane of death, his Father was most surely laughing considerably at him._

_…The son that had dared criticize his Father's choices_

_(…Had it actually been the Heavenly Sword' intent, the whole time?)_

_She was nothing like him._

_She was nothing like he had ever expected…_

_This had to be the most vicious trickery his Father had made at his expense._

_The blame could have lied with that part of him that had enjoyed the power over her… a little too much: having her under his control; keeping her a prisoner of his whims and impulses as he saw fit… it was the same part of him that enjoyed toying with his enemies till he got what he wanted from then, which had made him absorb himself in her so… the same part of him that was awfully diligent in getting things to go his way was what had driven him into this mess, which made the affair sordidly ironic._

_If there was truly a reason, that's what it could've been._

_An explanation for this madness._

_From the moment he'd met her, she'd been an enigma… and it'd been trying to solve that enigma that had gotten him in this._

_Possibly._

_What a cruel joke Fate had dealt him._

_For the first time in a long time in his life, he knew, he felt truly lost._

* * *

-0-

She did not know the specific reason, but she knew it for a fact… Was it guilt? Was he feeling guilty? Could someone like Sesshoumaru ever feel guilty enough as if to avoid looking someone in the eye? After all that she'd experienced at his side, and all the previous exchanges between them, she would have thought that Sesshoumaru simply was not the one to allow others to detect his state so mind, yet she'd stil been able to notice.

It was a gradual change, but she noticed it right away; the way Sesshoumaru unexpectedly grew tense and started to avoid all of her attempts to follow their conversation. He was avoiding '_her_', all of a sudden; she was almost sure of it now. Yet, at the same time, she could feel the burn of his eyes on her back and shoulders whenever she turned her head the other way. Brief, stolen glances; and then, as if he'd given up on whatever pretense he'd been trying to assume, those unfathomable golden eyes turned to stare at her, this time quite openly.

He'd been avoiding the very sight of her, and then, just not anymore. Why was it that she could not help but be so in tune with every single thing, every little movement? Three days spent together suddenly felt more like decades of knowing each other, if one looked at the way she was so intensely attached; so dependant on this supernatural being's every whim… A being so magnificent, he reminded her of the white giant dog youkai that she'd dreamt about the previous night.

Eyes like fire. So alike the deep, red eyes that were watching her right now.

So alike Sesshoumaru's blood eyes.

To her, they were not the eyes of a monster; even if they did look somewhat like the eyes of Chaos… But somehow, they were not. They _were_ the eyes of Chaos, but not of his evil intent. They were the eyes of Chaos' '_power_'… For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt that power in Sesshoumaru's eyes. The power of Chaos.

But more primitive than Chaos ever was.

…No, not like Chaos'. The eyes of Sesshoumaru…those were like Hecate's eyes.

The eyes of Darkness mixed with Light.

She felt that gaze on her like a scalding hot trail, running down her body like the path of a blazing fire. He'd seemed content to give her privacy before, to keep his eyes away; but now, that unreadable expression seemed to be fixed on her every move.

"S…Sesshoumaru?"

He did not answer her. He just stared at her naked back. And, under the weight of that penetrating gaze, she started to feel self-conscious. Something told her she needed to get the heck out of the hotspring and get dressed… Fast.

* * *

-0-

Hitomiko knew she should be honest with herself. She was a bit lost. She no longer knew the path back to the village for sure. Though she reckoned that the dark presence that'd been following her for the past hour and a half might have a lot to do with it.

Suspecting that it was probably an ill-driven youkai, she had not wanted to expose the inhabitants of Kaede's almost decimated village to another demon attack, so soon after the last one; so she'd been trying to lead the creature away from the place, as much as she could. However, instead of it, 'she' had been the one to be fooled, somehow. The aura that she'd initially sensed was nothing compared to the evil intent that she was feeling, all around her, now. That is, if it truly could be said this was a single creature.

The farther that the she walked into the woods, the less she could help the growing, ominous feeling; like being watched by a thousand eyes.

She had miscalculated this creature's prowess.

Overconfident in her own abilities, the devoted priestess had let herself be led astray… and now that thing had lured her away from the village, right to where she was wanted: in a place far away, all alone, away from the safety of the monks' protection, and from Ungai-sama's.

Perhaps, the entity had chosen not to reveal the depth of its power until the time was right; when it had her at its mercy. There was no other way to describe it. The presence was a lot more dangerous than she's originally assumed, a lot more reckless and malicious. And she was trapped.

She only hoped that the bow and arrows she's borrowed from Kaede before coming would be suficient to defend herself from this unbidden threat.

The skies above her became dark, like a storm coming. Hitomiko gave an involuntary shiver when she felt her skin being brushed by some supernatural wind. It was gone as soon as it'd started, when she realized.

The animals in the forest had suddenly grown quiet. Expectant.

As if expecting something terrible to happen.

A woman's scream was the thing heard last. Then the woods resumed their natural tranquility.

* * *

-0-

**In another part of the forest.**

"I don't see why you don't come back," Tsumi told her brother from her resting bed of a thick patch of grass; lying down as she was, with her arm bent and her hand supporting her head. "It's not like Naraku will kill you on sight before you at least give him some information."

Aku glared at her disbelievingly, but said nothing. Non-affected, the female hybrid twin shrugged.

"If you play your cards right," she went forth, "you can make it sound as if the Inu-Lord and that masked youkai were working together to kidnap the girl, and that you could do nothing because they were two against one." She yawned, waving a fan on her face to relieve the heat, and looking so much like the late Kagura —as he'd often seen her in Kanna's memories— that the lavender-haired boy shivered.

"Thanks a lot, Sis," he growled sarcastically. "That really helps me. Not everyone can lie to Naraku's face the way you do, and he still sees right through you every time, anyway."

"Well, excuse me for trying to save the pitiful life of my pathetic, useless little brother," the half-demon girl replied disinterestedly as she turned over to a more comfortable position. "You should be thankful I'm here, giving you advice, instead of back there, turning you in, which would in the end serve me a lot better to regain the favor of Naraku-sama…" Her voice trailed off, heavy with dark significance.

The half-youkai boy fet his blood run cold. His own sister… she wouldn't seriously turn him in, would she? His own twin. He turned his purple and red eyes at her. No, it couldn't be. Tsumi coudn't, wouldn't be that callous. She wouldn't risk his life, her own twin brother's life, just to gain for herself the favour of their vicious creator.

…Would she?

"Please, Tsumi, tell me you're not serious," choking on his own fear, he knew he sounded like he was pleading.

"Oh, who knows. I might not be serious, and I might just be," he listened with a heavy heart as his sister singsonged. "You need to prove that you're still useful to me, little Aku," the deceptively light tone was all of a sudden dropped, as her bi-colored orbs turned to pierce her twin brother with an icy stare. "And for that to happen, Aku dearest, you need to tell me, exactly, anything and every thing that I know you've been hiding…"

* * *

-0-

Back in Kaede's village, surrounded by the other buddhist monks, like himself, in meditation; chief monk Ungai was struck by an unexpected flash of warning. Shaken by the premonition, he turned his hard-leaden visage to his companions.

"Where is Priestess Kaede?" At his urgent tone, some of the other monks looked at each other uncertainly before they answered him.

"She's in her hut, of course. Resting and still recuperating from her wounds. Ungai -sama…why are you asking?"

The holy man stared back at them for a while, unsure of what he'd just felt. Swallowing imperceptibly, he struggled to rein in himself before speaking once more.

"…Has any of you seen Hitomiko?"

Unseen by the other monks and Ungai, an out-of-the-ordinary-looking wasp turned around to go back and report to its master.

* * *

-0-

He had turned the tables on her, again. Right now, she was drowning in a new stage of confusion.

"S…Sesshoumaru… I- I don't understand…" she trembled as she backed away fearfully, holding the dress tighty over her dripping wet form.

She wasn't all too comfortable with the way that red gaze, though unfocused, was still dragging her in, practically eating her alive… As a matter of fact, she had not been okay with the way Sesshoumaru had, forcibly and unexpectedly, pulled her out of the water only a minute ago, either.

And now, said youkai was backing her up against a wall (actually, against a tree trunk) both literally and metaphorically. To the way Sesshoumaru was, figuratively, driving her up a wall, he now was adding the real, physical thing.

Like a cat would to a mouse. Or, like a dog to a cat; except, unlike the cat, Usagi wasn't so lucky as to know how to climb up a tree.

Once again she was so stressed she had no way out that she could think of.

"S- Sesshoumaru… W-What is w-w-_wrong_ with y- you?"

Her anxious plea received no answer.

'_Once…'_

'_Just once'_

Silver hair. Blue eyes. _'Just once.'_

Even in the day, she was bathed in moonlight.

'_Who needs to know at all…?' _So tempting.

Such tempting skin, milky white. A feast to the senses.

"Sess…—" the silver-haired girl attempted one more time.

…Like her alluring scent.

'…_Who cares...' _

…That wonderful, alluring scent. Clouding his mind.

'_Who cares, what I do? Who cares, if I indulge, just this once?' _He threw thinking away to the wind.

'_Indulge… like my father did.'_

"Sesshoumaru?" the girl blinked. At last, she'd ceased with her annoying whining. Red eyes stared at her. They focused on her lips; like they'd done in the past. Like a moth to the flame, they were drawn to that spot

' …_Before she leaves…And just this once. _A strong hand landed on the tree trunk, beside her head. _' And then, it will not happen again…' _

'…_or any other time'_

' Dettached; he heard his own voice, tempting him, inside. _'Just once, before she leaves. Just once…_

She was the sweetest temptation.

'_Just once, I want to taste her…' _he thought. His face approached her._ '…And then, I'll send her away. And then…'_

He kissed her.

And the girl, Usagi, stopped breathing altogether for a while.

Unknown to the both of them; the two of them were also being stared at. Another pair of eyes —red and purple— watched, rejoiced, and laughed.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

-0-

Author's note: Pheeeeew! After almost five years, chapter sixty three is done! Not as long as my previous ones, I'm afraid; but, like they say, "An update is an update". Blame my muse if you want to: she's been a graceless, selfish greedy pig for half a decade and I'd almost given up on her, when she suddenly decided to get her act right! You can thank the people who've so loyally and undauntedly kept believing in me and that I woud some day continue with this. *cough _**Sesshy's Mistress**_ cough* I know I've been merciless in the way I made you guys wait and wait and wait and wait, and that's one of the very reasons we finally get to see a kiss in this chapter: to make it up to you guys, somehow. You'll have to be the ones to tell me if it was a right choice to have this kiss now or if it wasn't (as always), but I seriousy feel I could not delay this any further: sixty two chapters which have been leading up to this moment for almost five years, are enough story deveopment if you ask me, and it finally was time to get down to it. Especially so when taking into account I don't know exactly when I'm going to be able to post the next chapter (just getting this one out was a pain in the -*cough cough*). I really hope my muse stays with me so that it doesn't take me so much time, this time around.

But you guys can help me out with your thoughts, the good and the bad, and criticism. So go ahead and show me your love, or your anger (at the fact that I took so long to update), or curse my lazy, neglecting good-for-nothing muse if you want to, or say whatever you feel like saying about this update chapter or the entire story, in a review. As always, you know where to find me.

All my love,

Jay FicLover.


	64. Thoughts

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha._

**WARNING: This is an unusually SHORT chapter.**

Chapter Sixty Four

_(LAST CHAPTER...)_

_Once again she was so stressed she had no way out that she could think of._

_"S- Sesshoumaru… W-What is w-w-wrong with y- you?"_

_Her anxious plea received no answer._

_'Once…'_

_'Just once'_

_Silver hair. Blue eyes. 'Just once.'_

_Even in the day, she was bathed in moonlight._

_'Who needs to know at all…?' So tempting._

_Such tempting skin, milky white. A feast to the senses._

_"Sess…—" the silver-haired girl attempted one more time._

_…Like her alluring scent._

_'…Who cares...'_

_…That wonderful, alluring scent. Clouding his mind._

_'Who cares, what I do? Who cares, if I indulge, just this once?' He threw thinking away to the wind._

_'Indulge… like my father did.'_

_"Sesshoumaru?" the girl blinked. At last, she'd ceased with her annoying whining. Red eyes stared at her. They focused on her lips; like they'd done in the past. Like a moth to the flame, they were drawn to that spot_

_' …Before she leaves…And just this once. A strong hand landed on the tree trunk, beside her head. ' And then, it will not happen again…'_

_'…or any other time'_

_' Dettached; he heard his own voice, tempting him, inside. 'Just once, before she leaves. Just once…_

_She was the sweetest temptation._

_'Just once, I want to taste her…' he thought. His face approached her. '…And then, I'll send her away. And then…'_

_He kissed her._

_And the girl, Usagi, stopped breathing altogether for a while._

_Unknown to the both of them; the two of them were also being stared at. Another pair of eyes —red and purple— watched, rejoiced, and laughed._

-0-

* * *

**Her thoughts.**

Feeling those lips on hers, Usagi felt her lower stomack jump wildly, shift, and then contract.

"Se-… Sesshoumaru!" she tried to say, but his lips wouldn't let her. The alarms ringing in her head reverberated furiously, stung. A strong, warm body had already collided with her own, insistently, pushing her further back against the tree; and overwhelming her.

The alarms in her head then stopped ringing, as if stunned. Colors.

Thousands of colors.

A thousand colors exploded behind her eyelids, in rapid succession. Instinctively, Usagi had tilted her head to accomodate him, as she'd unwittingly closed her eyes. She felt muscles even through the silkiness of his upper clothes, and wondered idly where his armor had disappeared to. Perhaps, he was able to command it at will, just like she did with her sailor uniform?

A wet tongue, incrediby soft, suddenly plunged inside her mouth, and she forgot everything…

…everything.

'_Sesshoumaru_._' _ Everything; except these feelings, warmth and sensations.

…and him.

'…_Sesshoumaru' _

It was heaven. Pure and simple heaven.

…_H-How long…_

How long… had it been since she'd been kissed like that? Since she'd… been able to experience such softness and warmth from another living being? …To connect with another so intimately, and feel their emotions?

'_Sesshoumaru…' _She fet his powerful energy connect with hers, both auras embracing each other in spontaneus dance; and, without realizing, she was putting her arms around him… kissing him.

…

Kissing him…

Kissing him back.

…Kissing him _back_ and—,

…

…She was…

…

…She was…

…

…_She_ was… _moaning_…

'_Usagi…_,_'_ she thought. _'what are you doing…'_

…But she couldn't stop. …It was… …too…

…too…

'_Silly girl… do not fall inlove,'_ a dark voice, not unlike that of Niraya-sama's, whispered inside her mind. _"The people of the Earth and the Moon must not meet each other; that is…God's law."_

A fleeting echo, like a distant whisper, _"I musn't fall inlove with you…"_

…of history repeating itself.

Just like…

"…_but…—"_

…the moon's… everpresent cycle.

"—_it's already—"_

'…_already…'_

_**Too** **late.**_

-0-

**His thoughts.**

Sesshoumaru inwardly sighed. Pleasure was running through every bit of his being like the most exquisite sweetness. Like something he'd gone too long without, and not even realized, till every fiber and every vein absorved it like a thirsty flower in the midde of a desert.

'_I had no idea she…, that it would taste this sweet… to me.' _Something that was lust, and more than lust.

The strangest sensation.

He wanted to lick her whole and mark her with his scent till every youkai… every _man_ in the world… knew she was forbidden territory. Barely conscious thoughts sprang from his most instinctive side.

_So she wants to be mine, huh? I will make her mine, then… 'MY' chewing toy… …only 'I'll get to sharpen my teeth upon her supple flesh…_

_She's 'MY' prey…only 'I' decide whether she lives or dies… don't I? She wishes it so herself; therefore, her neck is only mine to bite. And I do want to bite her…_

…_Bite her and kiss her and rip her to shreds._

Surprisingly, even as his violent side was harboring these thoughts, it was quite as content not putting them into action; it felt satisfied just knowing that it '_could_', and it growled in satisfied pleasure.

'_Stupid girl… you came here looking for a pup, didn't you? …But you haven't realized yet it's not a pup that you've found, but a twisted alpha male… _

'_There's a prison for you alone, between my jaws… I will definitely trap you. I'll be the one to put the leash on you, fearsome girl; and I'll bite until you really are sorry…'_

'_So, Father tried to tame me through you; fearsome girl? _…_You're the one who will be tamed, instead…'_

Whenever he was seeking revenge, Sesshoumaru knew he took pleasure in sadism. Naraku and him were not so different.

…And both of them liked to fool themselves.

-0-

The air in the forest contained the echoes of the ancient prophecy.

"_**When the last child of Hecate meets the last child of Selene, both of them will come to know regret." **_

-0-

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

-0-

**A/N: SHORT chapter, I know! This chapter was ****originally meant to have an ACTUAL interaction between Usagi and Sess, and not just their respective thoughts on the kiss. ** But I thought I'd let you guys have a small taste instead of waiting till this was completely finished, with that and a bit of screentime for the rest of the other characters also... Consider this a bit of an extra until the next events happen (Usagi and Sess' inevitable 'conversation' next! Tehehe). Meanwhile, tell me your thoughts: Did you expect their reactions? What do you think these two are going to do next?

**You know where to find me,**

**Jay FicLover.**


	65. Overwhelming

_Disclaimer: I don't own the series of Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, or anything related. I'm just a fan writing about them._

Chapter Sixty Five.

When Sesshoumaru's lips left her, he separated himself from her with resolve. Just as he did, he noticed that some time during their unexpected kiss her hair had returned to its previous lustrous, shinning golden, though her crescent moon insignia still remained. There was no time to dwell on that now, however, as he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Pinning the girl to the tree with his only hand, he glared at her stonily as he fought to regain control.

"S-Sesshoumaru…?" Usagi whispered weakly, face flushed and eyes wide as she quivered disbelievingly, as if she couldn't fathom that what had just happened had been real. The warm feel of his lips which remained on hers still, as she gently touched them, told her that it'd been very much real; but she was still too shocked by his actions and by her own reactions to be able to put everything in perspective.

Keeping her at arm's length, his hand still kept her forcefully against the tree trunk and, for the first time, Usagi noticed his other hand was always rather absent. Startled by this, she immediately turned to look at one of his sides, and she gasped in surprise, her features adopting an expression of compassion and severe self- reprimand as she took note, for the very first time, of his void sleeve fluttering freely with the gentle breeze. …How could she have been so distracted, not to realize till now that the fearless Taiyoukai was missing a limb? It was true that, being such a graceful warrior as he was, the perfect precision of his movements would have never made it obvious to anyone observing him that there was any part of his body that was missing, but what awful thing could have happened to him, for him to have lost it?

So immersed had she been, with all that'd been happening, and just now, with this kiss they'd just shared… Usagi felt herself redden as she saw the way Sesshoumaru was looking at her now; such a focused stare, as if she was an absorbing riddle. Yet she had failed to return the favor. '_She_' had failed notice that their uninhibited, recent physical closeness had probably been causing him considerable discomfort… What had just transpired between them, and all its possible ramifications, lost some of their insignificance in light of the more urgent matter that she'd just found out, pushed to the back of her mind in order to concentrate on what she'd just discovered… Good heavens! If she recalled all the times he'd been forced to carry her around, during the short uneven span of their acquaintance, she couldn't but realize the grade of the inconvenience her very presence must have imposed on him, all along...

Overcome with guilt, the young woman bit her lip as she thought that, just as it had happened so many weeks before, with Kanna, and more recently, with Kohaku; once again she had been too selfish, too immersed in her own selfish little preoccupations to pay enough attention to the trials and tribulations of other people, and got angry at herself for her unacceptable, self-centered carelessness.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru kept staring intently at her.

"This is what you wanted, wasn't it?" he deadpanned disdainfully, ignoring the rapid succession of emotions that he'd seen showing on her face. It never ceased to intrigue him; how that expressive, delicate, human face could turn so hypnotic and…beguiling. "Isn't this why you've been playing tricks with this Sesshoumaru all this time?" he stated matter-of-factly, hoping to instill some modicum of fear or remorse. If only he could stop staring at her wretched eyes and lips; he knew he could sound a lot more convincing.

However, Usagi's soulful gaze took some of his breath away, when it came to return to his.

"Sesshoumaru, does it hurt?" she murmured, with sympathetic ache. "Does it still make you feel pain?" The Demon Lord's eyes narrowed, noting the way she had, yet again, completely sidestepped his question. The direction her eyes were taking, the way they had taken that distinctive expression, told him without a doubt what it was that had captured her entire attention, and left no doubt as to the fact that his last comment was not what she was referring to.

"Do not concern yourself with that," he hissed at her. "It has nothing to do with you." He was getting increasingly angry;…how _**dare **_she pity him!

"But, how can I…?" she whispered, troubled and sounding as if she was pleading. Sesshoumaru growled, incensed and already defeated. The concern in her eyes was mesmerizing.

'_I want to make her bleed…'_

When those thoughts passed through Sesshoumaru's mind, he felt some measure of relief, thinking he had finally began to get back to his senses. That he was no longer bewitched so completely. At last.

But that certainty was short-lived, as another one replaced it. _'I want her to bleed…and cry out… and bask in sweat, as I make her _mine_.'_

He was clearly losing his mind.

He could no longer control his own actions.

As much as he wanted to convince himself that what had recently transpired had been nothing but a show of assertion of dominance, the excuse sounded worthless even to his own ears. He tried not to show his agitation, by keeping his breathing even, and he tried to think. And think he did.

Yes, it had been primal. Yes, it'd been fuelled by instinct, an impulse bordering on animal-like. But it had not been the usual prey that he'd wanted to subdue this time. He had '_kissed_' her… A kiss. A favored human custom; and because of that, it was something he never thought he would have done. Yet there he'd gone and done it without much thinking.

And all this time while he was thinking all this, this annoying, slip of a girl just stared at him in silence, confounding him even more with those understanding, enticing eyes.

"Sesshoumaru," she whispered very quietly, sounding mindful and concerned, as if she knew what was troubling him. One of her hands rose to touch his face, and to Sesshoumaru's utter bewilderment, he just let her. Growling, he tried to warn her off, to scare her. He felt his fangs protrude, his eyes go wide and red, yet that did nothing to intimidate her. With a sweet smile, her warm hand cupped his cheek, slowly, and even though his sharply clawed one rose instantly to close over it, he just held her gentle hand in his, taking in its softness, doing nothing to move it away from his face, even if his red eyes remained glaring dangerously at her in stark contrast.

Her smile did not waver, though. On the contrary, the flush returned and her gaze filled with yearning. "It's you," she breathed. "You're that beautiful Dog Spirit, Sesshoumaru… aren't you? …The one I've been dreaming about." It was true. That wild canine ghost had been present in Sailor Cosmos' dreams many, many times.

Finally, she had remembered… why it was that the dream last night had affected her so much. How could she have forgotten…? Usagi's gaze clouded over in pleasure and giddiness. That beautiful ghostly creature had been Sailor Cosmos' only source of comfort so many, many times… "You're the epitome of freedom I so desperately craved, the one I desperately wished I had…," she told him breathlessly. "…the freedom from choice between good and evil." Those words seemed to click with a distant echo in the Youkai Lord's mind, lulling him into a state of unprecedented euphoria.

Eyes still red; he separated her hand from his cheek, only to open his fanged lips and trace her inner wrist with his tongue, feeling that divine pulse beckoning him.

He gave an inaudible groan as instinctively, without thinking, he sniffed the girl's neck again; taking in that addictive, heavenly scent; being washed over by another myriad of indescribable emotions. He fought against them, to keep a semblance of presence of mind, to ward himself against the wonderful effects; but the more he wanted to fight, the more he wanted to give in. It was exhilarating, and soothing at the same time; invigorating, and calming. Some instinctive part of him wanted to just wrench that ridiculous, stupid dress from her small hands, push her down onto the unforgiving ground and feast, to stop denying himself the one thing he had been denying himself for so long, …but how would he ever manage to explain that to his more reasonable, strict mind? All of his life, he had prided himself on his self-control.

This was just another test to it that he would have to pass, but damned if he wouldn't allow himself first a taste of the forbidden; tear that dress away from her and smell the space between her breasts; see if the scent was stronger there than other places…

…_You… You're the one that's been in my dreams… every night…_

Sesshoumaru quickly vanished the thought, aggresively.

_'__Stupid, fearsome… ignorant girl. ____Why…Why can't I get rid of you...'_

When he finally managed to wrench himself from her, it wasn't without some difficulty.

That was when he saw that the absurd, senseless girl; much too exhausted and probably, much too overwhelmed, had fainted.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Fhew! Another one out! Anti-climatic, I know. But you guys should know by now that this story isn't exactly fast paced, hm? Another short chapter, I know. But it's necessary to give these events the significance they deserve, and it was the only Sess-Usagi bit I was willing to give you in this chap... I suspected that, if I added scenes with the other characters right after THAT, you guys probably wouldn't have enough presence of mind to read or to keep just as interested. *knowing grin* Therefore, better to leave the scenes with the rest of the cast for the next chapter, when you are all able to read it with a fresher state of mind. **

**Don't forget to review. Cheers!**

**Jay FicLover.**


	66. Interlude

_Disclaimer: I am not Naoko Takeuchi, the creator or 'Sailor Moon', and I'm not Rumiko Takahashi, the author of 'Inuyasha', either._

**Warning: Very very short, again. You've been warned! **

**I've also been receiving requests that I update my other stories, and I intend to honor them as soon as I can. Rest assured, I've heard your message. This chapter came out when it did because it was already finished by the time you wrote to me.**

Chapter Sixty Six.

_Mamo-chan…_

_I'm sorry…_

"…Sesshoumaru," the unconscious blond girl whispered.

Listening to her sleep talking, one of the Demon Lord's silver eyebrows was raised.

With a mental sigh, he leaned down to pick up the fainted girl, whose body was lying in a heap unceremoniously against the tree trunk, half covered by that western-looking dress of hers, ever since she had lost consciousness. To Sesshoumaru, for anyone to faint that way while stark naked and defenseless was just another sign of how utterly absurd and nonsensical women could be.

'_If this goes on_,' he thought as he lifted her from the ground, carefully wrapped up like a newborn in several folds of cloth. _'The number of times I've seen her out cold will surpass the times I've seen her actually awake.' _He immediately stopped at that. _'Not that I've spent so much time looking at her,' _he tried to correct himself.

No matter how he looked at it, though, he knew that he had. …Been looking at her, that is. And quite a lot, at that. For someone as him.

Sesshoumaru could no longer refuse to acknowledge that fact.

He knew that if someone who truly knew him were to find out —someone like his mother, for example—, she would probably regard him with irony and comment that this had to be saying something. He just didn't want to think about it, or what it could mean.

But… it was time he stopped avoiding the matter and confronted this altogether. He would not be someone who indulged in self-denial; turning all paranoid and alarmed, resentful and weak out of something as trivial as an unforeseen attraction to one human woman. He would reason this emotion out and deal with it accordingly. Fighting against it would only help to make it stronger. But he was stronger than it.

Yes, he was stronger than them, those unwanted, confusing emotions that she had caused to develop in him. And because he was stronger, he would not continue to act like an unruly, petulant child just because she had managed to get under his skin, somehow. He would rein in himself and be patient.

Patience. _'Because, I still need this girl if I am to find Naraku before my brother does.'_ Be patient. After all, these feelings of lust were bound to be only temporary…

_They had to be._

He couldn't leave her there, though. Not where either Naraku or that masked Shishinki could so easily find her. He wouldn't willingly make it easy for them to get what they wanted, even if he did not know exactly what they were after, with the girl currently in his grasp. Nor was it an option for him to carry her over, himself, up to the entrance of the village, where humans wary of youkai after the recent events were bound to get her killed while foolishly trying to attack him.

So annoying.

He had no choice but to again take her along with his pack.

Before he could mull it over, though, the sound of a twig snapping behind him alerted him to the fact that he was being watched, and an instant later he found himself surrounded. _Heh_, he snorted to himself, raising his gaze to meet the chief leader's somber, distrustful one. He had to give it to this group, he though. They knew how to be relentless. And, from the way they were obviously staring at the unconscious form of Usagi in his arm, he knew that they'd already decided they would try to rescue the blonde from him.

Just as they had tried with Rin, not that long ago.

_Well then_, he decided, preparing mentally for the oncoming battle. _'Let them try.'_ If he wasn't about to let the girl fall in the hands of Naraku, he certainly would not give her over to this monks just like that.

Putting the girl down for the moment, he turned around to stare back at the group in front of him with a calm air of surveillance.

"Sesshoumaru-_sama_," Ungai greeted him curtly, his voice filled with repressed meaning. "We meet again at long last."

-0—

_Endymion… _

_Mamo-chan…_

_If you knew about this, would you forgive me? After the way I loved you… … all the cherished memories, _

_I… towards someone else…. Someone who isn't you. _

_Would you feel betrayal? …Or…_

…_would you be happy for me? _

_If only I could ask, what I should do. _

_Should I restrain… these feelings inside me? …These new feelings… _

…_Sesshoumaru… _

_I'm sorry, Mamo-chan._

-0—

In another place, outside the boundaries of space and time.

_**"Serenity, wake up now... **__**Wake up.**_"

The words came to her as if from faraway, like the distant echos of a silent whisper.

Princess Serenity opened her eyes.

_...Sesshoumaru…_

"Sesshoumaru…," she repeated the name outloud, without thinking. Once she realized, she raised her fingers to her lower lip, gasping. "Se…_Sesshoumaru_?" she asked herself, blinking. "...I wonder where I learned that name."

Sitting up on the field of flowers, she looked blindly around herself.

Strange.

Had she fallen asleep without realizing?

When had it happened?

Glancing at her side to watch the fallen leaves blown by an eerie breeze, the young princess frowned. She did not remember stepping out of her chambers and getting in the castle's gardens. As a matter of fact, she could not remember much of anything at all. What had she been doing previously? How come she had not awakened until now, again? And where were her Senshi or her mother, Queen Serenity? It was strange to suddenly find herself all alone like this, in the Moon Castle. It was never silent like this. Usually, there were people walking down the corridors, going about their business or tending to the plants and trees. Young noble and servant children were often seen all together, playing and running everywhere and filling the entire place with her laughter and noise. Yet, at the time there didn't seem to be absolutely anybody around her, and everything was awfully silent.

Where was everybody?

'_Is this, maybe… a dream?'_ she asked herself.

_**"****Yes, you are actually dreaming,"**_ an unexpected voice answered her.

Turning around in a flash towards the person standing behind her, the moon princess' eyes grew wide as saucers as she suddenly remembered, and she realized who the odd woman was.

"Ne… N-Neherenia?!"

TO BE CONTINUED.

-0—

**A/N: Short again, I know. But like I said in previous times, doing it like this sometimes helps me get the story moving forward a lot sooner, reducing the risk of writer's block.** **I've also been receiving requests that I update my other stories (you know who you are, LOL) and I want them to know I've received their message and intend to honor them as soon as I can. I just don't know when that'll be, but please bear with me. This chapter came out today when it did because it was already finished by the time you wrote to me.**

**Love, Jay.**


	67. Revelation

_Disclaimer: I don't own "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon," which belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, etc. I don't own "Inuyasha," which belongs to Takahashi Rumiko, etc. _

Chapter Sixty Seven.

"H- How…," Serenity... no, _Usagi_ whispered; looking at the former queen of the Death Moon with something akin to rapture. "How are you here, now? How is it possible?─"

Stopping herself and now fully aware, the former princess looked all around them with searching curiosity. Her gaze widened for a fraction of a second, as she took in their surroundings with a new look of understanding dawning in her eyes.

"Ah," she went on and smiled, tilting her head in a gesture of quiet acceptance. "I see... A dream. Though a vision, this is still a dream, is't it? Only in this way, could I have returned to the Moon Palace. Everything looks so real."

Lifting her stare, she smiled kindly at her old opponent. "It all looks so much like it used to, for a moment I forgot all about the current me. But, even so, it is nice to be able to see this, and to see you again, Queen Neherenia-sama." At the honorific, the specter of the Dark Moon smirked at the young girl with some amusement.

"Is that so?" it wondered in relish. "Has your life turned so much for the worse recently, Serenity, that you would even miss me?"

The words seemed to be coming from all places and nowhere at the same time, and part of Usagi knew, then, that the shadowy form standing before her wasn't actually real.

Turning her smile towards her, indulgent, the silver-haired princess allowed some part of herself to relax. "Yes. Until today, you hadn't been in my dreams for so long, I had feared this time you had disappeared for good. I do not want that," she confessed wistfully. "It is often the echo of you in my dreams, like this, which reminds me of where I've come from."

The past foe clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "You're still clinging to the old days; to the free-spirited, mortal girl you had once been, in ancient times. That girl is gone, Serenity; you cannot bring her back," she looked at the one who was under a spell of resemblance to her former self, pointedly.

"It is your wish to return to those days, to being that person, that has summoned the memory of your former nemesis to your presence. ...That is also why, at the moment, your senses are telling you that I am not a threat, since I'm not real.. aren't they?"

"Oh," Usagi blushed a bit at being caught, and then murmured with some disappointment. "Yet again, my childish mind has played tricks on me..."

_'I should've known.'_

"But, as it is, you have come to realize, at last, that this life you once had, can not return anymore, have you not?" Neherenia asked her. Once her silver-haired listener focused her attention on her, she explained. "It is not against the likes of me that you should be fighting now, child. Instead of myself, isn't it Chaos that you should be worrying about?"

That sentence seemed to have an effect in the moon princess' dress, which suddenly began fluttering about Serenity's form like an aura. Silver hair became pure gold, and then the white dress just faded away altogether; to be entirely replaced by her old 20th century school uniform in an eerily soundless motion.

"Chaos..." the blonde whispered in a slight shiver, as if just now remembering her real enemy's name.

But what the ancient ruler had just said still made her unsettled. "Neherenia-sama," she questioned solemnly, "what is it that you've come to tell me?"

_'Has Chaos sent her here, to make me go back?'_ She unconsciously bit her lip, anxious.

"I do not have the power to do such things, Queen of the Stars," the dark royal dismissed the thought, unexpectedly turning her back on her. "As you know, I am not the real Queen Neherenia," she added indolently.

Walking towards a white fountain and stopping right before it, the shadowy queen gazed down at her reflection in the crystalline surface. "I am but the imprint of her that exists within your own mind."

The blonde started. "...Huh? Then, this... is really not a vision...?"

"I am nothing but a mere part of your own self," the other proceeded to say, without turning back to face her, so the confused girl could not tell whether she was being honest or not.

"A part of me?" Usagi countered, surprised. "Because, both of us were born from the Galaxy Cauldron?" she tried to reason. Coming to stand beside her nemesis, she let out a startled gasp when she saw what the queen was looking at now, through the water of the fountain. It wasn't her own image anymore, but a transparent vision of her own stoic youkai friend and companion.

"...Sesshoumaru?!"

Utterly shocked, she could only gape at the image of the Taiyoukai fighting against what looked like a group of battle-worn monks, all in the same clearing by the hot spring where she had just been standing with the Demon Lord, right before she fainted.

_'Oh, no,'_ she thought inwardly. _'Is he in trouble?' _Narrowing her eyes, she looked at the picture more closely, _'Did this happen after I passed out?' _

Turning towards the one beside her, she studied her with a frown. '_Why is this...this spirit, showing this to me?_ _...Is this some sort of trap?'_

Searching the scene with her eyes , she tried to spot her own slumbering body. _'But, then, where AM I? Just some minutes ago, I was... EEeeeeeep!'_ Her inelegant squeal came spontaneously out when she finally found herself, all hunched up against the tree trunk.

Totally out cold, she was still pretty much _naked_ as the day she was born, even though Sesshoumaru apparently had had the good sense to wrap her up in her gown, so that her nude attributes would not be out on display for those men, those monks (_'and do NOT think about Rei's grandfather right now, Usagi... dammit!'_).

Taking a peek at Neherenia from the corner of her eye, she could've sworn the old witch was privately enjoying herself at her expense, inwardly laughing.

"I... I need to wake up," she mumbled out loud, frankly feeling stung and uncaring about the other woman hearing her. "This isn't a dream, this is an all-out nightmare!"

Nonplussed, the ghostly form stared at her from over her shoulder.

"To you, it would seem as such, I gather."

_'Ugh', _the golden-haired senshi bemoaned. _'Enough of this._

_'Dream or no dream,_ _I really shouldn't allow her to get the better of me.'_

"...So he's the one who's brought forth such changes in you," the spirit mused out loud, stopping her before she could summon her will power to either pinch herself or wake herself up by any means necessary. "It was as I suspected. He is a strong one, indeed."

"...―What did you just say?"

"Speaking with him has only helped make the fact all the more obvious that, should you stay with him, Serenity, all the weaker and more vulnerable you shall become at the end."

"Why?―" the confounded dreamer turned to stare at her dream-created interlocutor. "Are you saying that you've spoken... to Sesshoumaru?" Neherenia's profile only smiled lightly, facing away before responding.

"Mind you, as of now, that is of no consequence. There are other, much more important matters that we should discuss," she stated and again started walking away from Usagi, who followed her feeling somewhat troubled.

This clearly was not a laughing matter anymore.

_'Neherenia..._

_'She is not capable of harming Sesshoumaru... is she? _

_'If this weren't a dream, non-the-less, she would still be unable to harm someone like him all that easily...'_

_'As for myself, I still have some of Cosmos' powers... If I really need it, I may be able to summon more of them at my disposal.' _

As if reading her thoughts, the Neherenia look-alike outwardly sighed.

"So, you seem intent on repeating your mother's mistakes."

"Uh? Whatever do you mean by―"

"All creatures have some lingering shadows still, inside of them." the curly-haired empress explained. "This is true, even for the purest lights."

Lost for words, that was the moment Usagi took a step back, unconsciously; some part of her was prepared to fight, if she had to.

"A flickering darkness, the one you've always been running away from," the royal figure continued. "It has been hidden inside you, ever since before you came to the past. And it is that darkness that has followed you here, to this era."

"A Chaos seed..." the girl whispered, shaking her head in denial ."No... No. That- that can't be right..." '_...Can it? _

"Can't it?" Neherenia echoed, as if reading her mind. "Deep inside you, you've already sensed that this is not a lie... In this era, your seed has already attracted Chaos' attention. It has been always quite near you, and you've been able to sense its presence sometimes, since your awakening. Are you not forgetting your last encounter, and how it turned out?"

"Of course, I am not." the younger female interjected, frustrated. "I haven't forgotten... But―"

"That seed that was planted inside you has begun to take root, and it has started growing, and projecting visions, and communicating with others...without you knowing. I have come to you from within its depths, Serenity, because some part of you still feels that this is something that you should know about; that you deserve some measure of knowledge. At the very least, a warning of what is to come."

"But, why...― how?" the younger female exclaimed hesitantly, her trembling body and tone betraying her emotions, as she confronted her old foe with a frightened, however determined, frown. _'In the future... the evolved Sailor form of Chaos, _Sailor_ Chaos, is strong... But the Chaos in _'this'_ time... ..._that_ one, surely, is not!'_ she thought to herself, shaken.

To the dark being before her, she merely replied, "Chaos should still be imprisoned inside the Cauldron, right now, and unable to reach me without outside help. Moreover, it would be unable to taint me, as long as I'm in this form."

_'Surely, Eternal Sailor Moon was immune to him... unlike me.' _Even now, she couldn't help underestimating herself when compared to the strength and bravery of her past counterpart.

The haunting voice of the embittered queen proceeded, merciless. "You are not the true Sailor Moon, who existed back in the 20th century; a great part of you remains Sailor Cosmos, and another part now bears the stain of Sailor Chaos."

_'...I should have known...'_

"Whenever you fought her directly, before, a piece managed to leak inside you, each and every time, and another piece of you succumbed to darkness," the queen elaborated, ripping the small glimmer of hope from Usagi's hands. "Filled with all those negative feelings, as you have been... have you never thought to ask yourself why?" _'The matchless strength which Sailor Moon used to have... I, Sailor Cosmos, had lost and forgotten...' _The memory of those words alone made Usagi gasp.

"Is there anything... nothing at all, I can do to stop it, now?" she asked in barely concealed terror.

"You have been exposed for too long, it is only a matter of time, till it grows strong enough. Has it not been for this reason that, since regaining your memories, you have been unable to release your full power?"

"Wait!" Finally the overwhelmed blonde cried out. "This means, that the Chaos in this time can... that he can―?!"

'_Take over me? Or, something worse, even...?'_

_'Oh my God... Please, somebody help me.'_

_'The signs were there, yet I ignored them all.'_

"Unless you are able to deviate from that path," the ruler of the Dark Moon confirmed it for her, "your fate will become the one known as 'Consort of the Land of Crescent Shadow.'" the dark queen finished cryptically. With absolute dismay, the young senshi's hands tightened into fists at her side.

"Why...?" the girl murmured almost inaudibly, her gaze bound to the ground. "After all this time... why...?" She bit her lip so hard that it was almost bleeding. "How could I have been so careless!?" _'I need to wake up, __I HAVE to!' _

In spite of her desperation, the cage of her dreams did not seem to yield.

Arms folded, the taller regal woman considered her for another moment.

"Cosmos," she began, "it is finally time to stop running."

At this, Usagi concentrated, trying once again to wake herself up and return to the real world. At least, she could sense to her great relief how her physical body was being affected by the surge of power; the vague distant feel of fabric on her skin revealing that somewhere else, in the real world, her unconscious and naked form haphazardly wrapped in layers of dress was now fully clothed as well, in her high school uniform, no longer exposed to the eyes of strangers or under the mercy of the elements.

Next, Usagi turned to the queen and stared at her, hard.

_'Then, Neherenia, please...'_

"Please, if you really want to help me, then you have to tell me...How do I stop it? _...W__ho_ is this '_Land of Crescent Shadow_'...?!"

**To Be Continued.**


	68. Power

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha. They are owned by Naoko Takuechi and Rumino Takahashi respectively._

Chapter Sixty Eight

"If you truly wish to find the way to stop the darkness inside you, first you must try to understand it. To do so, you must understand where it comes from...So, what will it be, Serenity? Are you truly willing to trust the darkness just this one time?"

Extending a hand towards the blond haired-girl, the queen of the New Moon simply watched her and waited. Torn between the desire to know the truth and the instinctual feelings of distrust for her old enemy, the young princess stared at the queen's fingers with growing trepidation.

There were so many things that could go wrong here... But Neherenia was her only means to learn what was really happening, and she had no way to know if this offer of hers would ever be made a second time.

It was now or never, a leap of faith... Preparing herself for the worst, the girl raised her own fingers and took the dark queen's offered hand.

In an instant, the environment surrounding the two of them changed.

No longer the gardens of the ancient Moon Palace, the setting that was displayed all around them, as if the two had been floating in space, was the universe's sacred place of origin.

Taking it all in deep surprise, the younge woman watched the pool of swirling lights in awe.

"The galaxy cauldron..." ― Usagi began.

"―is only the origin of everything that exists in this world, the origin of both light and darkness." the one at her side interrupted.

Once the sailor-suited one turned to look at her, the ghost of the ancient dark queen took her gaze away from her, to set it herself on the wondrous spectacle.

"Because everything is born from there, both your darkness and light originated here, as well... But the cauldron is only the place that connects the realm of Being in this world to the plane of Nonbeing beyond, a realm farther than death," she continued, looking at the whirling currents of millions of starseeds burgeoning with life. "What is beyond is the destruction of souls and the creation of new ones... Not all souls are reincarnated in the same way as yours has been, so many times; your body that was born in the 20th century was only a vessel for the return of your star seed to the world of the living. In other words, it existed only to harbor your sailor crystal."

"You're wrong... just as Galaxia was wrong," the blonde immediately interjected, shaking her head firmly and, at the memory of her deceased friends, feeling slightly bothered by this particular subject. "A sailor senshi's body is more than a mere shell for their starseed or crystal! A human body is...―"

"―It is a means for the senshi's soul to live among those they're supposed to protect. Your body, for example, was the means to allow you to continue with your mission, and for your soul to awaken once more as the protector you'd been meant to become already in your previous life... Such is the power of the true star seeds, the sailor crystals... But ordinary souls, humans or other, with ordinary star seeds, do not possess the power to be reborn exactly as they once were."

"You mean...?"

"The souls of humans, and ordinary creatures, once they are reborn, they become and remain...different. The memories of their previous lives, if ever regained, become like those of a completely different person, like recollections of someone else's life."

"I see what you're talking about... it's transmigration isn't it? Like Sailor Moon and myself," the fair-haired senshi looked down, dejected. With a hand to her chin, she once again reminished her previous life wistfully.

"Yes, and... no. Some part of your soul was reincarnated as it was, while the other gave way to a newer self," the dark queen nodded, "In the same way that some part of Princess Serenity's soul was changed to create the personality, in the 20th century, of Usagi Tsukino."

The teenage girl blinked at this. "In the case of a sailor senshi, unlike what happens with ordinary people, it is only a part of their personality that usually becomes altered after reincarnation?"

"That is right. The rest of the soldier's soul stays the same, but you already know that," was the reply of the dark specter.

"Yes," the girl nodded. "So that one day, they'll be able to recall their mission in their previous life, it is important that they can feel that they are still, ultimately, the same person... So that they don't feel like their mission was somebody else's duty, but are able to embrace it again, in this new lifetime, as their own."

"I see that you have learned many things since the last time we saw each other," the shadowed queen commented, satisfied.

Usagi nodded again and remained deep in thought for a while. She still remembered what priestess Kaede had once told her, while trying to teach her the Shinto beliefs concerning reincarnation, about a certain girl she refered to as Kagome, and about Kaede's own deceased sister, Kikyo... According to the priestess, the reincarnated Kagome had yet to regain any memories of her past life as Kikyo. As far as Kaede knew, she was still unable to recall anything, even after getting kidnapped and having her old self revived and separated from the rest of her spirit due, to the actions of some self-serving witch ogress.

The way the Queen of the New Moon was putting it, though, it seemed like it was only the sailor senshi who ever managed to keep a part of their former personality intact after reincarnation; more often than not, everybody else's soul was irrevocably changed once they were reborn...

If what Kaede and even Neherenia believed about souls' transmigration was right, then Usagi was pretty much the same as Princess Serenity... but this Kagome girl, though she was supposed to be Priestess Kikyo reincarnated, she was still considerably different from her.

Princess Serenity, as a future sailor senshi, must have already possessed a sailor crystal. Thus, she was able to be reincarnated as Tsukino Usagi while remaining, mostly, the same. The girl known as Kagome, apparently possessing a more 'regular' type of star seed, not a sailor crystal, was therefore reincarnated with a whole new personality, different from the one she'd had in her past lifetime... However, from what Sailor Cosmos remembered, ancient enemies like Queen Beryl and the generals had also been reincarnated in the 20th century with a personality almost identical to their old ones, and, from what Usagi knew, none of them had possessed a sailor crystal... Was that a result of the power and influence of Queen Metallia? Perhaps, it wasn't the nature of the person's starseed that decided this matter, but the individual's own wish to either remain the same or become someone different after they were reborn? .

..Would souls like the one of priestess Kikyo grow so tired of who they were, that they would _choose_ to be reborn as someone else altogether?

…It was all enough to give anyone a headache, really.

In some deeper sense, Cosmos had always felt as if what she had in common with Tsukino Usagi was less than what she had in common with her original self, Princess Serenity. At least, compared to the princess, Tsukino Usagi had become in the end braver and more-battle experienced. Being the one with more power, Sailor Cosmos should have been, at least, as enduring as her previous personality, the Moon senshi. But in many aspects, she felt like she was lacking...

Turning back to Neherenia, the young woman looked at her nonplussed, "I understand, but... why are you telling me this? What is your purpose for reminding me of all that?"

Having probably foreseen that question, the ghost of Neherenia did not look all that surprised. "Because you and your mother, the Moon Queen, were once born from such an ancient soul that has been completely altered."

At those words, the golden-haired senshi blinked again. "...You mean, the moon goddess...Selene?"

"Selene was only half of that soul," the ghost answered at once. "She was the reincarnated light, while I, Queen Neherenia, was the other half.

"Huh?!"

"Yes, Serenity. Your mother and you were the children of a soul that had been split into two halfs: one for light, and one of darkness," Queen Neherenia told her smugly, as if enjoying the girl's discomfort at this notion. "I was its reincarnated darkness... Therefore, as you can see, this is why I told your mother that both of us had the same origin, before she imprisoned me in that mirror."

"Why...what do you mean?"

"She, as Selene's direct descendant, and I, as Selene's darker counterpart, were each of us descended from a half of Hecate, the very first, original lunar deity."

"Wha― Hecate-sama!?" the girl all but blurted out, "the goddess that embodied light and darkness united? You are saying she was my ancestor's previous incarnation?! .S_he_ was the previous incarnation of Selene-sama?!"

"Selene was only a part of her, her side of light; whereas I was myself her side of darkness. Hecate-sama did not embody light and darkness... she _was _light and darkness..." the curly haired queen looked at the girl pointedly.

"But then that would mean ―"

"― that Hecate-sama was not born from the galaxy cauldron... she _was _the Cauldron, if only a piece of it, if you will... a piece that was cast off and drifted apart from the start."

"Oh, Kami," Usagi whispered. "All of this, my mother and I never knew... That piece...it was not just any piece of the cauldron whatsoever, right? It was not the core of Chaos, which is the Chaos starseed and Sailor Crystal, or the core of Cosmos, the Cosmos star seed and crystal..."

"No, it was not," the solemn ruler told her. "...Because it was both of them, united and intertwined. Being a piece of the original matter of the cauldron, naturally it could be neither dark or light, but a substance that was both, before the beginning of creation when the two were separated―"

"Only, in Hecate megami's case, they were never actually separated, were they?" the princess questioned. "Hecate, she was the only piece of the cauldron's original matter that remained exactly as it had been from early on: as a perfect blending of light and dark"

Trying to hide her state of utter bewilderment, Usagi finished, "I see now, why Hecate is a goddess of both darkness and light. I could never understand it fully until now, so this is why... The birthplace of both dark and light, the cauldron... And the core of the cauldron, it was a piece of that core that was cast off and later became Hecate-sama?" Usagi reasoned. "That could only have been, a piece of the starseed of the galaxy cauldron? ...A piece of the Cauldron Seed?"

Neherenia only stared at her, the look in her eyes confirming Usagi's words.

"So... this... _this_ is why I became Sailor Cosmos, isn't it" the golden-haired teen whispered solemnly. "...Because I was descended from Selene, who was the embodiment of the Cosmos seed!"

"Selene was the light half of Hecate, so she was the Cosmos seed, the light side of the Cauldron's seed and core," the ghost assented. "As a child descended from a piece of the Cauldron, a piece that eventually turned into the Cosmos seed... with both Hecate's and Selene's blood in your veins, it was only natural that you would sooner or later develop those powers, and become the sailor soldier you are now, Sailor Cosmos... But," now the queen made a pause to look meaningfully at the younger woman, "Because she was an entity that existed before the distinction between good and evil, Hecate's nature was never subjected to such.

"...Because she never underwent the process of separation that created light and darkness, Hecate's powers are balanced."

"Oh, dear Kami," the young female soldier whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. "I never thought..."

"Do you understand it now, Serenity? This is why I once told your mother, 'there can be no light without shadows.' To pretend otherwise is to ask for disaster..."

With Neherenia's words, the sight of the galaxy cauldron faded, and next the two of them found themselves back at the entrance to the Moon Castle.

"Hecate's powers exceed those of the light and because you're her descendant, so will yours... someday... if you do come to accept the darkness... if you allow it..."

To the youth's ears, the very tone of the dead moon royal's voice sounded eerie.

It was the sound of temptation.

"You would hold the power of balance, and both darkness and light... the universe entirely would be a your feet."

_'Give in...´_

The same things that Sailor Chaos always whispered.

_'Give in to your hatred... your pain, and... forget everything.'_

"J-just stop it," with that remembrance, the blonde immediately reacted, raising a hand to stall her the other.

"About darkness," she resolutely proceeded, facing the shadowed royal with a frown. "I know what it does. In the end, nobody can become the master of darkness, not even if it is their own darkness! ...If you give in, if you let yourself fall, just when you think you've become stronger thanks to it, it enslaves your soul and your mind," passionate blue eyes set themselves on Neherenia as she trailed off the last part. "My becoming Sailor Cosmos happened for a reason. Because I know what it does, because I've _seen_ what it does! ...I've _seen_ what happens to those who fall into it! I've―!" her eyes widened slightly before she caught herself. On her lips, the rest of her sentence died.

Realizing now the deep significance of what she was about to say, the girl's shoulders slumped and she regarded the older woman with a keen sense of pity, tragedy and sadness. Both women remained silent, staring at each other for a moment, before Usagi finished in a filled-with-regret faint murmur.

"― I saw what happened... ...to _you_..."

-0-

Sesshoumaru fought Ungai and his monks half-heartedly, as if he were playing a game. His intent now wasn't only to buy time for the unconscious Usagi to wake up so that he would not be forced to carry her around again, but also to keep the monks, and Ungai especially, incensed enough and too distracted to realize that Rin, the same human little girl that Ungai himself had tried to "rescue" so many times, was only a few miles from there setting camp with Kohaku, Ah-Un and Jaken.

Truthfully, he could have just ditched the unconscious female and left to go and get the others so they could all leave from there together. After all, he was confident in his own abilities to get the blonde back after leaving her in the company of Ungai and his comrades for a brief time; therefore, his purpose to use her as a means to lure Naraku would only be postponed, not forfeited, by handing her over... However, for some reason, he could not bring himself to do it. He was not comfortable with the notion of letting the golden-haired girl be taken away by those men and out of his own sight, even for a while.

He was attracted and he couldn't help himself... He was attracted to her.

…Attracted to her alluring, beautiful fragility; her surprising strength in character and the intensity of her emotions. He was intrigued by the way she could draw strength from the love she felt for many of the people around her, and by her wish to protect. How could someone so weak become so strong with the blink of an eye? How was it possible that such a feeble, ridiculous emotion such as human affection be such a degrading, embarrassing handicap one moment, and then the next, become so frightening and terrible?

Sesshoumaru had never understood the concept of human love, but now, somehow, he could sense it in her, the wholesome, all-encompassing gravity of it... of the emotions of grownup humans... The hopes and the fears, the smiles and the tears…Looking at the golden-haired girl, he was allowed to witness up-close the human coexistence between utter joy and times of despair and sadness.

And it intrigued him.

And, for the first time, he understood. To most humans, the emotion of love was inseparable from the notion of 'Life'. There was no living without loving.

Yet, as pathetic or ridiculous as this idea may sound to a youkai, to them it seemed to be capriciously invigorating.

Had such a strange, convoluted notion been what attracted his own Father to their side? Such a terrible, powerful inu-youkai... His Father could have easily been persuaded into that notion if, unparalleled in his strength and unchallenged as he'd remained by the power of the other youkai, he could have indeed become indolent and bored enough to give into that.

Yes, it could be dangerous. Indeed, human love looked disconcerting, bothersome and annoying, yet it looked like it could, after all, turn into something unpredictable and dangerous. But, unlike what he once thought, it could never be irrelevant… A double-edged sword, it could indeed become fearsome. Inuyasha's endless troubles with that undead human priestess would be a clear testimony of that fact. Human love could be surprisingly enduring and relentless. It would not be ignored once it started. It had the power to turn many of the subjects it touched into complete emotional wrecks, yet…

It could also allow for the most mediocre of beings to achieve the unthinkable.

For the first time since their first meeting, Sesshoumaru finally understood the significance of Naraku's existence. ...If love could produce such a relentless, foul hybrid such as Naraku, yet influence a youkai's power enough to create such a mighty weapon as his father's Tetsusaiga, then it was indeed a force the likes of which it would be in Sesshoumaru's best interest to understand, in order not to be someday taken by surprise by it, and overpowered. To prevent this possibility from ever coming to happen,and perhaps to increase his own abilities and powers, he do well not to underestimate it or ignore anymore.

This foreign emotion of human love could indeed birth power, a power that, if mastered well enough, could turn into an unstoppable force to be reckoned with... even if only as a means to manipulate and get the best of humans, whose numbers were growing by day and advancing upon thousands of miles of former virgin forest that only youkai previously inhabited... If the humans were gaining territory on his own kind by the sheer annoying presence of their increasing number, he'd better understand what emotions moved them to survive, breed and overcrowd. What kind of emotions could turn a human mob into a dangerous, well-organized swarm.

This power, if he learned how to work it, or to work around it, he could use it in his favor. Stumped, he wondered idly why it was that he'd not realized about the opportunity until now...

**To Be Continued.**

-0-

**A/N: My, my. ...Sesshoumaru just doesn't **_**get it**_**, does he? He's a stubborn one, that one. But I knew already when I began this fic more than seven years ago, that he would be a tough cookie to crack... You guys just be patient. Sooner or later, he will get there. :) **

**I was going to add more to this chapter, but realized it was best to leave it there, since I believe these two scenes to be powerful enough to keep you guys entertained in the meantime. If you're interested, you can try listening to some of the songs by the Japanese group Rurutia, I often listen to them when I'm writing (and the lead singer's voice is wonderful! In my opinion, at least, hehe).**

**So tell me what you thought, if you would be kind enough to review, about all the things and events discussed in this chapter.**

**Cheers!**

**Jay FicLover.**


	69. Introverted

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Inuyasha series or Sailor Moon and related works._

Chapter Sixty Nine

In the previous chapter:

**Flashback**

"_Hecate's powers exceed those of the light and because you're her descendant, so will yours... someday... if you do come to accept the darkness... if you allow it..."_

_To the youth's ears, the very tone of the dead moon royal's voice sounded eerie._

_It was the sound of temptation._

"_You would hold the power of balance, and both darkness and light... the universe entirely would be a your feet."_

_'Give in...´_

_The same things that Sailor Chaos always whispered._

_'Give in to your hatred... your pain, and... forget everything.'_

"_J-just stop it," with that remembrance, the blonde immediately reacted, raising a hand to stall the other. _

"_About darkness," she resolutely proceeded, facing the shadowed royal with a frown. "I know what it does. In the end, nobody can become the master of darkness, not even if it is their own darkness! ...If you give in, if you let yourself fall, just when you think you've become stronger thanks to it, it enslaves your soul and your mind," passionate blue eyes set themselves on Neherenia as she trailed off the last part. "My becoming Sailor Cosmos happened for a reason. Because I know what it does, because I've seen what it does! ...I've seen what happens to those who fall into it! I've―!" her eyes widened slightly before she caught herself. On her lips, the rest of her sentence died. _

_Realizing now the deep significance of what she was about to say, the girl's shoulders slumped and she regarded the older woman with a keen sense of pity, tragedy and sadness. Both women remained silent, staring at each other for a moment, before Usagi finished in a filled-with-regret faint murmur._

"― _I saw what happened... ...to you..."_

**End flashback.**

Staring into the dark moon queen's eyes, Usagi felt the chaos of her own emotions bubbling inside her, yet there was no reaction to behold in Queen Neherenia's face. Looking at her intently, the older woman merely remained silent, as if oblivious to the implications of what Usagi had just told her.

Usagi sighed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you... not when you're only trying to help me. That was out of line."

"Do you mean, the allusion to my former days, when the dark illusion of beauty would conceal the world of pain, loneliness and decay that was my reality?"

The blonde swallowed, nodding. Though she saw nothing wrong about old age that could be considered all that tragic, she reckoned that so far she'd never gotten to experience it herself; having always died in all her lives while relatively "young" and healthy (even as Neo Queen Serenity). The arrival of Sailor Chaos in Crystal Tokyo had practically guaranteed her former self's untimely demise. But she thought that Neherenia, having indeed experienced old age, and having utterly despised it, may probably have felt humiliated at the reminder, so her opinion would beg to differ.

"I would not have been offended by your mention of it."

"...Eh?" the girl turned to her, surprised.

The ghost of Queen Neherenia smiled.

"As long as you exist, Serenity, beautiful and young as you are now... so will a part of my own self. As members of Hecate's bloodline, we're irrevocably connected to each other... Because we're two halves of the same soul, the mere existence of one implies the existence of the other... Therefore, a part of me will always continue to live as long as you are alive."

The confused sailor senshi could do nothing else but gasp.

"B-but"

"This is why, we can not afford to continue as we have been..., separated." The dark queen stopped her speech to look at her companion in the eye.

"Do you mean―"

This time, the regal woman merely interrupted her with the raise of her hand.

"Now, fear and prejudice cloud your vision," she went forth, "but that situation is not meant to last. And that is because deep inside you, Serenity, you crave the balance.. you can sense the end of the tears and the fighting which only the balance can grant you."

"Balance..." the pig-tailed female repeated wistfully.

"Yes. For all of your light, you know that such powerful aura will always attract the darkest beings, bringing nothing but despair and sadness, as long as it remains unbalanced. ...To stop your light from attracting such darkness, it needs to become balanced. _You_ will never live a modicum of a normal life, as long as you are unbalanced," the queen finished.

"It's not just a question of achieving balance," the former princess attempted to argue. "There is also the issue of destiny. If I conquered balance, thus freeing myself from this burden, then it would be the same as passing it on to someone else!"

"...Would it?"

"...YES!" the younger woman shouted. "So that is why, this... _this_ is the choice that I made!" she gestured firmly at herself. "Otherwise, this role may have been passed on to Small Lady Serenity, to Chibiusa! ...I couldn't allow for that to happen!"

"...Why not?" Neherenia wanted to know.

Usagi hugged herself lightly, "Because... just as my mother, Queen Serenity, had once wished it for me... ...I also wished for my daughter to be able to live a normal life."

"So you gave that to her, by sacrificing yourself."

"I had no choice," the other mumbled. "Because this power can not be eliminated, it will always be too dangerous to just let it free for anyone to grasp. Were Sailor Chaos to feed on it, everything and everyone would be destroyed...there would be no way for things to turn back! ...The reason this power was given to me is because this power needs to be guarded, and because there was always meant to exist somebody to protect the entire cosmos."

"Sailor Galaxia was also meant for this, once, wasn't she?" Neherenia asked thoughtfully. "Yes, but once after she became Chaos' prey, she could not become the kind of guardian she had previously meant to be."

"And the result of this power being left with no wielder for thousands of years," the girl somberly added, hands fisted as she turned to one side, "was that wars in the galaxy eventually got worse."

"...Because you, Serenity, did not realize at the time of Sailor Galaxia's defeat, that you had already been chosen?"

Face downcast, the blonde swallowed as she closed her eyes. "That is right."

"Hm... So, you did not realize it at the time," Neherenia questioned softly, "going on with your mortal life and then building your kingdom, completely non-the-wiser and unaware, whereas the rest of the universe started falling apart...

"With the ending result that Sailor Chaos came..."

Her breath caught, and repressing the urge to flinch as she slowly turned away, Usagi nodded glumly.

"Even so," the dark being continued, "that power, why is it then, that do you continue to keep it? In another time and place as you are, now, you could have just disposed of it. What is more, Chaos would not be able to find you that easily anymore, should you completely relinquish it."

"No," the female soldier argued.

_V-chan... Minako-chan... _

"To allow for my friends' rebirths without the burden of duty and memories, that is too why I accepted the role of Cosmos, and that is why I will remain as such."

_Mars... Rei-chan..._

"Oh?"

_Endymion... Mamo-chan..._

"...So that they may be allowed to live their own lives peacefully, I will continue to live his life."

_...Mercury... Ami-chan... _

"And so, you have allowed them to be reborn, keeping their mortal identities... and sealing their memories and powers?" Neherenia asked bluntly.

_Jupiter... Mako-chan..._

"Yes, ...I have," Usagi confirmed the fact.

_Neptune and Uranus, Haruka-san... and... Michiru-san..._

"Because somewhere, somehow, in another time and place... I know all of them, even my daughter... they are all are able to lead peaceful lives now, and be happy―"

_Sailor Pluto, Setsuna-san..._

"―without heartbreak...and without knowing..." she trailed off. "without his never-ending cycle of fighting and hurting repeating itself over and over again―"

_Sailor Saturn... Hotaru-chan..._

"They had all made such great sacrifices, they had already given me so much...!" she cried out, passionately.

_And Small Lady, my sweet, precious, baby... _

"I couldn't keep asking them forever... ...to go on forever fighting, to go on forever dying, for me, over and over, again, forever―!"

_'My Chibiusa...! M-my... ...my s-super c-c-cute Chibimoon-chan!' _

Deep inside her, a mother's heart broke a bit more.

_'...Why...?'_

"―...To forever continue to put themselves in the line of fire!"

_'...Why...?'_

Deep inside her... Tsukino Usagi's heart, the heart of the Neo Queen cried.

_..._

_...Why...?_

Oh how she understood Sesshoumaru, and his over protectiveness of Rin, right now.

_..._

… _...Why...?_

"..."

The blonde waited for a moment for the other woman to say something, but because no answer was given, she finally went on. "Yes, I can't give up being Cosmos... not now, and maybe... not ever..." she sighed, exhausted. "Because, this way... only I am made to suffer like this, while none of them are forced unnecessarily. This way... the others finally get a chance away from it all. This way..." the blonde faced the queen directly, resolutely, "...they will not be forced to awaken again, or remember... ever... This way, they will not be forced to return... not unless I -"

Queen Neherenia's voice finished it for her, "...unless Sailor Cosmos dies."

"..." ―Usagi swallowed again, this time letting her breath out. "...That's right."

Whatever the blond princess had been expecting, she didn't expect it when the Dark Moon queen suddenly began to slowly clap her hands.

Nor did she expect it either when Neherenia gave out a hearty laugh.

"My," she said whole-heartedly, arms crossed as she raised one of her fingers to wipe at her right eye, "your Taiyoukai was right. You do know how to put on a melodrama act."

Flabbergasted, Usagi just watched her, silent.

In some deeper part of her head, she heard something that sounded like Sesshoumaru's voice, snorting.

_'Ludicrous.'_

It was only after several moments that she managed to snap out of it.

Biting her lip and shaking her head lightly, the blond-haired girl ultimately reacted a bit different than was usually her style. Turning her face away righteously, she was surprised to realize something inside her was kind of rebelling, counteracting the usual feelings of hurt, and that she did not feel all that sad or angry, but somewhat tired and resigned. Finally, she blankly decided to ignore it... to just let the other woman self-indulge for a brief period of time.

_Because, ghost or no ghost, no matter what she expected...after all..._

After all, this woman still was very much clearly, ...Queen Neherenia.

It did not matter whether she allowed her at least the small mercy of the last laugh.

-0-

Away from there, deeper in the woods, Inuyasha's group had decided to take a short break to rest before resuming the journey back to priestess Kaede's village. Distressing news they'd heard from several people and travelling merchants had made them aware of the inexplicable things that had happened there, only a few days before. A demon attack, unlike anything people had seen for a long time, had almost succeded in erasing the place off the face of the earth completely.

But then... a miracle.

Most peasants were talking about a sign sent by the Kami, to renew people's faith so soon after the cataclysm. But Inuyasha was not buying it. Reports about a silver-haired man with a magical sword being seen at the outskirts of the village, right after the "miracle", made him all the more convinced that the event had something to do with his brother, no matter how rare it was for him to get himself involved with humans all that much.

The question was, why was Sesshoumaru there, and what had he been doing?

Inuyasha ad already resolved to question his brother thoroughly as soon as the older youkai could be found.

Deep down, though, he fervently wished that this not mean that Sesshoumaru had managed to get himself involved in something dastardly. If that was the case, Inuyasha did not want to force the others to expose themselves to a fight with the Taiyoukai, so soon after they'd managed to fix Sango weapon and numb the pain in Miroku's poisoned arm. This had all been thanks to Yakurōdokusen, a drunken potions master who was friends with Totosai, who'd been able to help Sango get Hiraikotsu reforged as well as develop a temporary antidote for Miroku, with the help of his potions. However, this did not mean Miroku was cured from Naraku's miasma, as the old sage had warned them that the antidote would only serve to dull the pain but could not prevent the poison from spreading further as it was doing...

Trust Miroku to keep such important details to himself until the whole thing blew up in their faces, it figures.

While he was thinking these things, Inuyasha realized Kagome's fatigue had finally kicked in and that she was sleeping...

-0-

_'So weird... just what could this place be?' Kagome thought to herself, looking all around her as she went on walking. 'I don't remember ever being in a place like this before.'_

_At first sight, it looked like she was walking alongside the outer walls of an old, western-styled castle. However, where exactly this castle was... that was what remained a bigger mystery. The entire atmosphere was... odd. As if there was barely any sound and her feet did not even feel the pull of gravity. _

_'...Am I dreaming or something? But, I feel just the same as if I were awake!' she though to herself, frowning. 'I hope I didn't go and fall asleep or something, otherwise Inuyasha will get on my case again...' she finished lamely. She wasn't looking forward to being forced to 'sit' him in his place another round. _

_Half-walking and half-floating, the miko felt relieved once she managed to spot someone else as soon as she turned a corner. _

_An odango-haired, blond girl in a highschool uniform...Wait. _

_...A school uniform!? _

_...When had she gone and gotten herself back in the modern era?!_

"_Um, hello there! Excuse me? ...Can you please help me? I seem to be lost and I don't know the name of this place!"_

"_..."_

_No answer._

"_Eh? ...She can't hear me? Hey, you there! Please answer me! Can't you see me-KYAAA!" before she managed to put her hand on the other girl's shoulder, Kagome screamed and instantly jumped back._

_It was not the fact that the other girl was talking to someone else, a figure clothed in darkness, that set her off this time._

_It was the vision of... yes... the EARTH! ...As in... the PLANET! The earth planet had just risen in the horizon behind the castle in the same way one sees the sun rise in the earth's morning sky! ...Where the hell was she, Kagome thought, that she could see the shape of the planet Earth from outside, as if she were somewhere in outer space and not on it!?_

"_Wha... what's going on...?" the flustered miko turned to the blond girl, gasping as she finally caught sight of her mystery interlocutor. An elegant woman, dressed in luxurious ensemble that looked like ball-room clothing, stepped out of the shadows and faced the blond teenager, murmuring something. _

"_There is another path to be taken, Serenity..." _

_The woman seemed to be talking to the other teenager, Kagome noted blankly. 'This person...?!... She can not see me either, can she?!' Even though the older woman appeared to not notice her either, she did seem to stare inscrutably in Kagome's direction now._

_This was all getting really, really strange..._

"_Or, if you prefer it, I will call you Usagi."_

_'What!' Kagome gasped, turning to the other teen widly. 'This person...! Is she...! Could she actually be Kaede's... ..Priestess Kaede's infamous Usagi-san!?"_

**To Be Continued.**

**A/N: I'm cruel, I know... and I like it. **

**XD**

**Jay FicLover.**


	70. Impressions

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Sailor Moon._

Chapter Seventy.

"_The earth... It-It's__―__... __impossible," _Kagome murmured to herself, looking at the earth up in the sky. _"...How?"_

Turning back to the scene in front of her, Kagome was confused. _"If this is a dream, why am I dreaming this? __I've never met Usagi-san... And, who is that other person?"_ she wondered once she noticed the dark-haired older woman's pointy ears, fangs and nails. _"A female youkai of some kind?" _

The time-travelling schoolgirl glanced again at the other sailor suited youngster.

"_So, this is Priestess Kaede's Usagi-san? … Wow, she looks so pretty, feminine and frail."_

Someone with that description was bound to seem kind.

However, with some trepidation, Kagome thought that looks certainly could be deceiving, as she remembered how she and the other shard-hunters had discovered, during a recent conversation with Totosai, that another girl by the name of "Usagi" was also travelling with Lord Sesshoumaru's group:

**Flashback**

"_A human woman, you say...? ...With Sesshoumaru? Surely you've grown senile, Totosai," Inuyasha told the older youkai. "The only human travelling with that ass of a brother is the child, Rin. And that is saying a lot."_

"_I'm saying, Inyasha," Totosai retorted, glaring, "it was an older girl that I met, who was also travelling with your brother Sesshoumaru. Her name was Usagi, if I'm not mistaken... and I am NOT senile!"_

"_Yeah, yeah... whatever, old man. Have it your way," the hanyou waved his hands and turned the other way, dismissively. "Everyone, hurry up," he ordered the others. "We need to get moving now to reach that drunkard potions master before sunset."_

_The rest of his group were still eyeing Totosai with speculating looks, though._

"_...'Usagi'..?" Sango blinked. _

"_Ha ha... a rare name indeed," Miroku added weakly from his corner, where he was sitting while cradling his poisoned arm._

"_Um, wasn't that also the name of Kaede-baba's apprentice's?" Shippo said, from where he was sitting on Kagome's shoulder. _

"_I think so, Shippo-chan," the black-haired girl told him, glancing up at him with a finger to her mouth. _

"_Hah?!" Inuyasha asked. "What are you guys murmuring about?"_

_Kagome turned to the hanyou briefly before addressing the older demon. "Totosai! The girl you saw with Sesshoumaru... was she perhaps dressed in Shinto miko's garb?!"_

"_Um, no. Now that you ask, she dressed very, very weirdly," the swordsmith admitted, scratching his head. "First, she was wearing wings in a strange and colourful outfit―"_

"_W-what?! ..._WINGS_!?" the group of shard-hunters chorused, baffled. _

"_But, you just said she was human!" Shippo cried out right after, apparently scandalized. _

"_Heh! Told you! The old man's off his rocker already!" the half-demon responded, crossing his arms. "How on earth could a mere human have wings?"_

"_Hm. Perhaps, if she was... some kind of bird hanyou?" Sango wondered out loud._

"_Eh? You think so, Sango-chan?" the girl from the future asked._

"_Hmph! Calling me senile and doubting my words," Totosai interrupted, a bit offended. "You rude bunch of youngsters think whatever you want! But the thing is, the girl that was travelling with Sesshoumaru's group was human, no matter what magic she used to sprout wings!"_

"_Hm, if she was human, then what did she look like, old fart?" the inu-hanyou questioned. "Don't tell me that, besides wings, she also had curly blond hair and feathers like the angels in those pictures those christian believers like to carry around!"_

"_Huh? ...How did you know?" _

_At Totosai's naïve response, Inuyasha felt like tearing his own hair out._

"_Ugh, you've got to be kidding me!" _

"_Well, she did have golden hair and wings at first, but... when she and Sesshoumaru repaired the Heavenly sword, her hair turned silver and her clothing changed all on its own," the older youkai ellaborated, scratching his chin this time. "...To a― er, um. ...to a western dress, if I'm not mistaken! And she did seem to have something like miko powers, too." _

"_Mi―Miko powers?" Kagome repeated._

"_So she could, indeed, be the same person Lady Kaede told us!" Miroku wondered._

"_Yes, it can't possibly be all just a coincidence," the female demon-slayer concurred, deeply thinking._

"_Wait, Totosai!" Kagome shouted, "you said she had blond hair?!" Before the swordmith answered, she turned to the others. "That's what Lady Kaede described!"_

"_Yeah... I'd forgotten about that," murmured the silver-haired hanyou, finally starting to see the connection._

"_What kind of miko powers do you say she had, Totosai?"_

"_Er... Sesshoumaru said something about her being an unusally powerful miko, strong enough to cause the cataclysm and all," the elder demon added, casually flattening a blade he was making, with the aid of a hammer. _

_Eyes windening, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at one another at the mention of the word 'cataclysm'._

_None of them knew what to say._

"_Now, off with you, youngsters!" the blacksmith ordered, getting up from his seat. "Go see my good lo' friend Yakurōdokusen, the Potions Master, and get him to take a look at that half-mangled giant boomerang of yours!"_

"_You're really sure he'll be able to get Sango's Hiraikotsu reforged?" _

"_Of course I am," the blacksmith grunted. "Now, as you guys can see, I've got no more time for you, cause I've lots of work to do!" he grunted and blew a scalding hot cloud of vapor on his newly-created weapon, leaving the group to their own devices._

"_Huh, well then... we better get going," Inuyasha grumbled."See you later, old man!"_

_As they retired, in each of their heads there was only one single thought:_

_'What could possibly make a powerful miko-in-training forsake the safety of her own human village... ...in order to begin travelling with a youkai lord like Sesshoumaru, of all people?'_

_Most probably, it wasn't something good._

_Later on, when they had already visited the drunken Potions Master, and decided again to discuss the matter, Inuyasha's words distracted them all from that thought, though._

"_Western Christian angels and Shinto miko's powers, united? ...Western-styled white ballroom dresses and winged suits?! I don't know why we bother ask him," he huffed. "...The old fart's clearly got to lay off his friend Yakurōdokusen's booze!"_

**End Flashback.**

And now, unexpectedly, Kagome found herself dreaming about the much-debated Usagi-san.

A girl who, according from what she'd heard so far, could suddenly sprout wings or display miko powers of unprecedented limits.

If that was right, then this girl was definitely a stronger miko than Kikyo, and if what Totosai and Lady Kaede thought was right, she may be more powerful than even the Shikon jewel's ancient creator, Priestess Midoriko. Could someone with that power have also some connection to the Shikon jewel? Even though all the shards, other than Kohaku's, were currently in Naraku's grasp... someone that powerful would probably know better than to get herself entangled with likes of Naraku, or even of Sesshoumaru... right? Someone that powerful was bound to realize that Naraku was a vile half-demon, and that Sesshoumaru, caring so much as he did about Rin, was no mankind's 'best friend' as he wasn't exactly a dog demon fond of humans.

If a miko was this powerful, she couldn't fathom her being in league with Naraku... not unless she had deviated from the miko's right path and become a 'kuromiko' like Kikyo's old rival and former friend.

_The one who'd been once used by Naraku, to try and best Kagome; that woman called... ...Tsubaki..._

_A kuromiko... a black priestess who indulged in dark, selfish deeds._

Kagome sincerely hoped, for Kaede-baba's sake, that it wasn't the case with this Usagi. But, according to Kaede, that girl had come to her village wearing those blue, black and purple clothes... the same that clothes that smelled like Naraku, according to Inuyasha.

And now, this person was travelling with Sesshoumaru, according to Totosai. There were too many coincidences piling up to be ignored.

Taking another look at the blond haired person, Kagome thought it unlikely that this was anything other than the twisted product of her latest state of anxiety. Surely, if this were the real Usagi-san before her, in reality or in a dream, she wouldn't be somewhere out of the earth, dressed in a 20th century's school uniform, would she? ...Totosai had certainly not mentioned anything remotely like that! As another possible cause for the dream came to mind, Kagome grimaced and felt her face redden in utter embarrassement.

_'Yikes!'_

"This couldn't be... because of Yakurōdokusen's concoctions, could it!? Though it affected Inuyasha the most, the fumes alone were strong enough to make anyone drunk. Surely, that's why I'm dreaming of seeing the Earth from above or, from outside?"

Perhaps, she'd watched too many documentaries. But, the effects wouldn't have lasted this long! Would they?

Dream or no dream, after the vision she's had through Kanna's mirror fragment, it would not do to keep such things to herself, anymore. Dream or no dream, just in case this could mean anything else, she would have to inform the others about what she's felt and experienced.

_'The last thing I need... for me to have to tell Inuyasha I even had a surreal, drunken dream ―of being able to look at planet earth from outer space, all things― under the influence of Yakurōdokusen's vapory wines...' _

Getting back to the scene in front, the black-haired time traveller tried to get the attention of the two conversing parties, again to no avail. For some reason, whenever she tried to take another step towards the two of them, she was forcefully repelled backwards.

Just what was going on here?

Pinching her right arm, Kagome tried to see if this managed to wake herself up, but it was all for nothing. Meanwhile, 'Usagi-san' and the mystery woman beside her continued talking...

"Another path?" the blonde asked, apparently bewildered. "What do you mean by that?"

"A path for you to achieve balance, while not completely forfeiting your role as Sailor Cosmos."

_'Balance...? ...Sailor Cosmos? What are these two talking about?'_ Kagome wondered _to herself. 'I can't understand...' _

If Kagome ever thought she might gain some clues of the situation by listening in on the two women talking to each other, she was sorely mistaken.

"This way," the youkai lady continued, "your light will no longer call out to the darkness, encouraging it to pool and gather in order to overpower its brightness and engulf it... Your friends will be allowed to remain where they are, with their new reborn lives, and Sailor Chaos, or even Chaos for that matter, will no longer be a threat..."

_'So confusing...'_ Kagome thought, nonplussed. _'Yet, somehow... I manage to understand they're referring to the balance between light and darkness...? However, who on earth are Chaos and Sailor Chaos...? ...Some dark entities?'_

Getting bored and frustrated with the way she was so unwittingly ignored, Kagome was becoming increasingly anxious. She even waved her arms wildly, feeling completely ridiculous, but still she thought it was better than just standing there and not trying to do something.

Nothing.

To the other people standing in that garden, it was as if she simply wasn't there.

-0-

"Another path?" Usagi asked the queen, bewildered. "What do you mean by that?"

"A path for you to achieve balance, while not completely forfeiting your role as Sailor Cosmos... This way, your light will no longer call out to the darkness, encouraging it to pool and gather in order to overpower its brightness and engulf it... Your friends will be allowed to remain where they are, with their new reborn lives, and Sailor Chaos, or even Chaos for that matter, will no longer be a threat..."

With this, the young girl was left once again staring blankly at the ruler of the Death Moon.

Another path, a way to achieve balance while retaining her role as Cosmos, so that her friends would not be forced to awaken again as sailor soldiers and were left to enjoy their reincarnated lives?

If such a path existed, Usagi thought, would that really be the solution to all her problems?

Could she believe Neherenia's words, though, and completely give the older woman her trust?

"But, if such a thing were possible, Neherenia... Neherenia-sama, surely... surely I would have found it by now! ...Surely?!" she exclaimed, disbelieving.

_'There is no way that things could ever be so easy.'_

There was always a hidden price.

"If that is true, if what you say is right, then...what's the price?" she confronted the monarch dead on, frowning. "If I choose to believe you and do whatever you suggest, what is the deal that I will have to make with Chaos?"

"My dear Usagi, child..." Neherenia chanted in sing-song, amused and unnerving the girl with the use of her civilian name from the 20th century, "this is exactly was Chaos has been wanting, always... all this time..."

Taking a step towards her, the ancient queen placed a finger on Usagi's forehead, right where her moon symbol should be, and in an instant the girl's mind was filled with images.

_'Niraya-sama...'_

_'Sesshoumaru...!'_

"_**...Two men, two different choices,"** _Neherenia's voice spoke from inside Usagi's mind. _**"Sooner or later, you will have to choose who to stand by... and when that time comes, Serenity, you will understand everything..."**_

The images and voice were gone in a flash, and the blond-haired collapsed, letting herself fall to the ground, gasping and shaking.

"Wha... what did you do to me?!" she cried. "W-what was that!?"

They'd been perfectly fine so far, talking to each other 'normally' and all that, so why did the death moon monarch have to go and do _that_? !...Why did she have to shake her like that, 'telling it' by touch and taking advantage of Sailor Cosmos' inherited ability, her psychometry?

"S-s... so cryptic," she gasped between breaths, still recovering. Stretching her arms in order to lift her upper half, she tilted her head and glared up at the ghostly ruler darkly. "Why couldn't you just say it like a normal person?! If you had something important to tell, why not come out right and say it normally? ...And you say that I..._'__I__'_ have a taste for melodrama..." she grumbled, her tone betraying her annoyance and recrimination.

Neherenia laughed.

"Well, if you manage to open your eyes and give a thorough look behind you, you will understand why."

"...Huh?"

Still glaring at her, Usagi did as she was told, and almost without thinking, she turned slightly to look behind.

"...What... just what is it I'm supposed to see?"

"Why, the intruding girl in the white and green highschool sailor uniform, standing right in front of you, of course..." Neherenia yawned widely as she crossed her arms. "Stop wasting our time, Serenity. ...If you stop distrusting and shielding your panicked mind so much from the presence of others, and you open your eyes _truthfully_, you will sense that she's there, and you will be able to see her."

"Huh?!" the blonde began to wonder if the monarch was off her rocker, when she indeed heard a timid female's voice calling, from behind her back.

"_Um... excuse me?"_

It was like a distant echo, but she still managed to hear it. Turning back around in a flash, Usagi watched in complete shock as the image of a black-haired highschool girl slowly appeared in front of her disbelieving eyes."

"...Are you really... ..._Usagi_-san?"

-0-

In another part of the forest, Rin heard a distant voice calling out to her repeatedly.

"_Little Rin... Rin... ...Rin-chan... "_

Her name was being sang like a chant.

"Eh? Is that Usagi-san?"

"Um? What do you mean?" Kohaku questioned her cluelessly.

"Kohaku-kun, didn't you hear it?

"Hear what?"

"A woman's voice. I thought it was Usagi-san, coming back with Sesshoumaru-sama... but, it wasn't," she looked at him expectantly.

"I didn't hear anything," was the reply of the taijiya boy. Rin gazed at him perplexed.

"Really? Nothing? ..Not even Jaken-sama?" glancing at the toad youkai, the little girl realized he was a bit far away, rearranging the saddle on top of the dragon, Ah-Un, and that he wasn't paying them any attention.

"Uh, I better go help Jaken-sama," Kohaku told her, getting up and off. _'Otherwise he will be grumbling about 'ungrateful human children' all day long,'_ he privately thought.

"They really can't hear it," Rin whispered, watching him go.

Choosing not to say anything to the others, for the time being, Rin decided to get up and go investigate where the mysterious voice was coming from...

**To Be Continued.**

**-0-**

A/N: Yes, I know I'm cruel, and evil and twisted... if you want me to stop being so, you know what to do.

Please R & R!

Love,

Jay FicLover.


	71. Delusions

_Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all things related belong to Rumiko Takahashi, Sailor Moon and all things related belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I'm just a fan of both writing this not for profit._

Chapter Seventy One.

**Last, in the previous chapter:**

"_**...Two men, two different choices,"** Neherenia's voice spoke inside Usagi's mind. **"Sooner or later, you will have to choose who to stand by... and when that time comes, Serenity, you will understand everything..."**_

_The images and voice were gone in a flash, and the blond-haired collapsed._

"_Wha... what did you do to me?!" she cried. "W-what was that!? __S-s... so cryptic," she gasped between breaths. Stretching her arms to lift her upper half, she glared up at the ghostly ruler darkly. _

_"Why couldn't you just say it like a normal person?! If you had something important to tell, why not come out right and say it normally? ...And you say that I...'I' have a taste for melodrama..." she grumbled._

_Neherenia laughed. _"_Well, if you manage to open your eyes and give a thorough look behind you, you will understand why."_

"_...Huh?"_

_Usagi did as she was told, and almost without thinking, she turned slightly to look behind._

"_...What... just what is it I'm supposed to see?"_

"_Why, the intruding girl in the white and green highschool sailor uniform, standing right in front of you, of course..." Neherenia yawned . "Stop wasting our time, Serenity. ...If you stop shielding your panicked mind so much from others, and you open your eyes truthfully, you will sense her, and you will be able to see her."_

"_Huh?!" the blonde gasped as she indeed heard a timid female's voice calling, from behind her back._

"_Um... excuse me?"_

_It was like a distant echo, but she still managed to hear it. _

_Turning back around in a flash, Usagi watched in complete shock as the image of a black-haired highschool girl slowly appeared in front of her disbelieving eyes."_

"_...Are you really... ...Usagi-san?"_

-0-

"Er... excuse me?" Kagome repeated, tentatively.

She approached very slowly, because the other schoolgirl that had just turned to look in her direction was completely frozen, so much so that the time-travelling miko even started to doubt if she was indeed seeing her at all, now.

"You... still can not see me?"

Just to make sure, she started waving her arms around over and over, wildly, in order to catch the blond-haired girl's attention, unaware that her actions were making even the dark-haired Death Moon Queen turn to stare at her with a huge sweat drop.

_'Why does that child even think she needs to do that.' _the ruler thought.

"... W-who..." the blond-haired girl finally whispered, staring at the newly arrived brunette with eyes still wide.

"Oh, so you _can_ see me! ...That's great! I was starting to fear you couldn't!" the miko exclaimed cheerfully, utterly relieved. At the blonde's continued stuttering, she had to laugh a little. "I was also hyperventilating like that a while back, wondering if this is just a dream... so that makes the two of us!"

"Ha?!"

"So, er, excuse me, but... Do you know the way, ah... could you please tell me the way out of here?" Kagome joined her palms together in front of her face, bowing slightly to the blond girl in the traditional courteous gesture of someone asking for a huge favor.

"...Th-The way out of here?!" Usagi squeaked, sweat-dropping and stuttering terribly. "Ah!-..eeeeehh?"

"Um, does that mean you don't know?" Kagome blinked. "That's strange, I thought for sure this wasn't a dream, and that you were truly Usagi-san," the miko murmured to herself in a subdued tone, piping down.

"Wha?! _She knows my name!_" Usagi cringed away frantic, as if she'd seen a ghost. When she heard the queen's barely restrained laughter behind her, she winced, realizing her mistake.

"Uh, that's right. Neherenia's been calling my name several times now."

"Neherenia?" Kagome asked. "So that's the name of that person?"

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kagome dear," the dark haired 'youkai woman' interjected, crossing her arms as the two younger girls both turned to stare at her.

"Uh?! You know me?!" - "Neherenia, you already know her?!" — Kagome and Usagi turned to stare at each other after they both asked the same thing at the same time.

"My, this is absolutely entertaining," the two girls turned to look at the owner of the laughter that had interrupted them, staring at the ghostly woman in almost identical confusion. "But please, do keep on with it, don't let my presence disturb you."

"Ne-Neherenia!" Usagi cried, aghast.

"Is she some sort of youkai lady?" was the brunet girl's next question.

"Youkai? Of course not, don't be so naive," the Death Moon Queen told her haughtily. "I'm much more powerful than that."

"What?"

"Neherenia..." Usagi admonished. "Stop it!"

She didn't like how the ghostly monarch was trying to bait the new comer.

"Hm."

Ignoring the annoyed expression on the face of the dark ruler, Usagi got up from the ground and approached the new-arrival slowly, looking at the new girl with an uncertain look in her eyes.

"Eh?" Kagome looked at her perplexed as the blond-haired girl stood right in front of her, staring at her intently in the eye.

"Are you... another one of Neherenia's illusions?" Usagi asked her, frowning uncertainly. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

Not taking her gaze away, and raising an arm slowly, she lightly touched Kagome on the arm.

"AH!" the blonde cried out, instantly withdrawing her fingers to clutch at her hand as if burned, after sensing the girl's life force. "You-...you are real!" she cried out, horrified.

"Ah...-...I guess...I am...?" Kagome looked at her a bit dumbly, mystified by the physical confirmation the other girl had just done.

"N-... NEHERENIA!" Usagi screeched, turning to the other woman so fast that her ponytails flew about her, wild. "Wha- WHAT is the MEANING of _THIS_!? ..._WHY_ have you brought an innocent girl from the 20th century INSIDE MY _MIND_?!"

At the older woman's smirk, she continued screeching.

"This isn't funny! The time-stream and people's dreams are not toys for you to play with! Do you even know the possible repercussions of what you've done!?"

"Hm, I've only brought her into your dream, though, " the queen murmured, with a hand to her chin. "As for crossing the time-stream... _'that'_ she seems to have been doing on her own, every time."

"W-wha?" Usagi squeaked with disbelief before quickly turning back towards Kagome. "You mean, you've been doing it... _repeatedly_?"

"Er," the look on the brunet girl's face told Usagi that what she thought was right.

"Time-travelling ...in the real world?! ...From the 20th century to... the Feudal Era?!" she gasped as she approached Kagome, again, feeling utterly dismayed. "But, how in the world did you get here?"

"Ah- I—"

"Tampering with the timestream... that's really dangerous! ...You mustn't!" the blonde told the black-haired girl anxiously, now shaking her by the shoulders, a bit roughly without her realizing. "You could be left stranded forever in this era!"

"Bu- but you—!" Kagome began lamely, feeling like a deer caught in headlights.

Usagi shook her head immediately.

"My case is different, I am used to this! ...I've got loads of experience, so I know exactly how to fix things!" she continued urgently, begging the other girl to understand the gravity of the situation, with her concerned blue eyes. "But if you are not careful and you don't know what you're doing, you might make changes which could even cause your own self to cease to exist!"

"Re-..._Really_?!" Kagome looked at Usagi with identical dismay now, persuaded by the tone in the blonde's voice into the dreadful idea that she could be right.

"There's no other way," Usagi shook her head, dismayed. "In order to return you home, I'll have to erase your entire memory of it, before sending you back."

"...HAH?" This time, it was Kagome's turn to cringe.

Watching the way the blonde's right hand started glowing, she wasn't sur she wanted to find out what the other girl was about to do.

_Erase... her memory?!_

_To make her forget... Sango, Shippo, Miroku, Kirara..._

_...and... ...Inuyasha?_

_There was no way she was going to allow this new girl, Usagi or whoever, to do to her something like that!_

"I'm sorry about this," Usagi sighed balefully, feeling guilty even as she turned towards the brunette with hard fast decision, raising her finger towards Kagome's forehead, as she summoned her Cosmos' powers to do what she'd said.

"WAIT! It's not what you seem to think! I -! " Kagome cried out, just in case this wasn't a dream and the girl was actually capable of it and could 'really' send her back to her time, wiping her memory clean. "I've been charged with purifying the shards of the Shikon no Tama!"

"...Wha-?" the blonde lowered her arm slightly, as if stunned. "...The shards of.. the Shikon no Tama...?"

The words resonated inside her mind.

**Flashback **(...to chapter 50)

—_"If you must know…" Sesshoumaru found himself saying without really knowing what he was doing, "Naraku is a vile half-breed who's apparently after the Shikon no Tama."—_

_—"____That thing that Sesshoumaru mentioned Naraku wanted, that Shikon no Tama…the name sounds familiar," Usagi thought. "It's like some complicated concept of Shinto that Kaede-baba once talked to me about… _

_"__She talked about Four Souls; but I can't remember____..._

_"__...Ugh! If I had stayed awake and paid attention, I wouldn't have to press my brains! __I will have to wait till it comes back __…i____f____ it ever does…_

_"____Because neither Sesshoumaru, nor Kohaku, Jaken or even Rin want to say anything more…and Rin claims she doesn't know much anyway'_

_"____I just want to know… …I just want to know…'_

"…___what is it about that thing that seems to cast a shadow on anyone who speaks about it…?'_

**End flashback.**

"Shikon no Tama?" Usagi repeated. "That thing... that thing that everyone keeps saying it causes misfortune for everyone...?"

_'...The crystalline fragment in Kohaku-kun's neck...!' _she inwardly realized, finally putting two and two together.

"Yes," Kagome nodded, blinking. "My name is Kagome Higurashi, and I'm on a mission here, in this time," she explained, introducing herself. "My duty is to get the Shikon back, so that we can fix it back together."

"Kagome... Higurashi?" _'Could she be that Kagome person Kaede-baba, Rin and even Sesshoumaru would sometimes talk about!?'_

"Get back... a Shikon no Tama?" she decided to ask, first. "...'_We'_? Who are you talking about?

"Um, perhaps you've heard about it from Lord Sesshoumaru, or from... Kaede-sama?" Kagome asked then, cautiously.

"Huh?! ...Kaede-baba?!" Usagi asked. "You know about _her_?!" Glancing from Neherenia back to the brunette, she worried. _Unlike Sesshoumaru, who was a dog demon, an old human like Kaede wouldn't be able to defend herself!_

Seeing her look of alarm, Kagome thought it best to get to the point.

"Usagi-san!" she exclaimed, "Could you by any chance be the same person called Usagi who recently stayed in a village with that elderly Shinto priestess, Kaede-sama?"

"How do you know?" the sailor soldier inquired breathlessly, withdrawing her arm completely now, disconcerted.

"Because I too am an acquaintance of Kaede-sama!" the miko told her earnestly, "I was recently with her in her village, and she told me all about you. She said you'd suddenly disappeared during the cataclysm!

"Kaede-baba..." Usagi whispered wistfully, then tilted her head. "What do you mean, cataclysm?" she blinked and turned red as it hit her. "Oh! A-ah— right! I'm sorry, you don't have to explain _that_!"

The last part was uttered with embarrassment, Kagome glanced at her flabbergasted, but she noticed the blond-haired girl's expression quickly turning to regret as she turned her back to Kagome's, her gaze lost far away.

That 'cataclysm', Usagi thought, had probably been her awakening, the very event that had separated her from some of the people she loved.

Kaede-baba, the people from the village... and even Niraya-sama, Aku-kun and Tsumi.

...Would she ever manage to see them again, someday?

_...Would she even manage to find about, someday, whatever had happened to Kanna-chan?_

"Are you alright?" Kagome looked at her closely, sensing the evident change in mood, and wondering at the cause for it.

Taking another cautious look at the so-called woman 'Neherenia', who was watching them as if expecting something, the miko reached out towards the blonde.

"Kaede-sama, she's very worried about you, Usagi-san!" she attempted to comfort her. "She seems to care about you so very much."

Without turning to look at her, the pigtail-haired girl replied with a deep sigh, "I wonder if I'm really deserving of that."

"She only wishes to know if you're alright," Kagome continued, and then she felt the need to ask. "I mean, this seems to be a dream but, in the real world— ?" she looked uncertainly all around them before turning back to her. "In the real world...you're not with Naraku, Usagi-san...right?"

"Naraku?" At those words, the pigtailed girl's gaze turned peculiar. "Why does everyone seem to think that?"

"...Sorry?"

"I don't even know the guy."

Kagome looked at her amazed.

_'Then, the smell of Naraku on her robes when she arrived at the village, could it be that she didn't know anything about it?' _

"Hm," At last, Neherenia decided to participate in the two girls' conversation, interrupting the former moon princess to inquire, "So you do not know him. ...Is that quite right?"

The two younger women turned to her once more.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked blankly. Kagome looked back and forth between them without knowing how to phrase her mental questions.

"You may think you don't know him... 'Usagi'. But you can believe my words when I tell you that man seems to know you like the back of his hand."

"What?" the younger royal cringed in a small voice. "_Why_?"

"Serenity...'Usagi'," the shadowed monarch continued. "It's time that you started questioning what you know, and everything you've been told about that man."

"...' That man'...? Neherenia, who are you talking about?" the princess asked in a tone that left no room for any more games, mental or other.

"Hm, I'm afraid if you will not open your eyes on your own, Serenity, then I can not force you to do it," the queen said regretfully, but the blonde knew she wasn't being completely honest with that answer to her question.

"But. You mean to say, that it is someone I know already, and I just haven't realized it?" she whispered hesitantly.

Neherenia's intense look told her then that she was right.

"Um, Usagi-san," Kagome felt prone to ask, "who exactly... is that person?" She inquired, pointing at Neherenia.

"Oh, well..." Before Usagi could finish her sentence, the Death Moon Queen turned to the miko with a smile.

"I'm afraid, it's just about time you went back, 'Kagome-chan'..."

"Eh?"

Right after the queen had addressed her, huge gusts of wind began blowing out of nowhere and the black-haired girl felt herself starting to wake up.

The last thing she saw before disappearing was Usagi-san's surprised expression as Inuyasha's distressed voice was heard calling out to her from practically everywhere, like a string of light pulling her back to the real world outside.

"..._Kagome! ...Kagome... open your eyes, please! ... Wake up!"_

**To Be Continued.**


	72. Danger

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or Inuyasha, because they belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Rumiko Takahashi. I am just a fan writing in good fun._

Chapter Seventy Two.

"_Um, Usagi-san," Kagome felt prone to ask, "who exactly... is that person?" She inquired, pointing at Neherenia. _

"_Ah, well..." Before Usagi could finish her sentence, the Death Moon Queen turned to the miko with a smile._

"_I'm afraid, it's just about time you went back, 'Kagome-chan'..."_

"_Eh?"_

_Right after the queen had addressed her, huge gusts of wind began blowing out of nowhere and the black-haired girl felt herself starting to wake up. _

_The last thing she saw before disappearing was Usagi-san's surprised expression as Inuyasha's distressed voice was heard calling out to her from practically everywhere, like a string of light pulling her back to the real world outside._

"_Kagome, wake up...! ...Kagome!"_

-0-

"Kagome, please, open your eyes! ...Kagome!"

"It's alright Inuyasha, look!" she heard Miroku's voice trying to placate the hanyou. "She already seems to be coming to."

"I- Inuyasha?" the black-haired girl said weakly as soon as she opened her eyes.

"I'm right here, Kagome... Don't go and scare me like that!"

"Kagome! It was so scary! Are you really alright?!"

"...Uh? ...Shippo-chan...?"

"Kagome-chan you were completely asleep and you weren't waking up, no matter what we did," kneeling beside her, Sango was the one to inform her. "And not only that, but your entire body was glowing!"

"If you don't mind my asking, Kagome-sama," Miroku promptly interrogated. "What was it that you were dreaming about?"

"Erm," the miko said as she bent her arms to lift the upper half of her body while her forearms rested on the ground, supporting her weight. "...I think you guys are not going to believe me when I tell you."

-0-

"Where did she go?" Usagi asked, blinking, as she looked up at the place where the brunet girl had been lifted upwards and disappeared."She was here just a second ago... Did she go back to her own time?"

"Probably not," Neherenia answered, looking up as well. "Remember I said I only used my power to bring her into your dream, but I do not have the power to send persons through time."

"You mean, that you've sent her back to the real world, and she's returned to the reality of the feudal era?"

"Yes."

"What does it mean?" Usagi turned to face her. "Do you know how that person's been travelling through time? Did you mean to bring her here as a way for me to notice, and stop her? Is she risking both worlds' existences by crossing the timelines?"

"Not any more than your own time-travellings," the queen said, glancing at her pointedly, "as it was in your own case, Kagome Higurashi's journeys to this era were also a question of fate."

"We were both meant to be here?" the blonde muttered softly, realizing. "...Both of us, two destined time-travellers... Something like this, I couldn't have foreseen. ...Is it truly because of that sacred jewel, that Shikon no Tama?"

Again, she addressed Queen Neherenia as she made her next question.

"What does that Shikon no Tama have to do... with me?"

"Hm. It's not the Shikon no Tama, itself, that you should be thinking of."

-0-

"Kohaku-kun! Master Jaken! ...Lord Sesshoumaru!" Rin wailed as she walked through the forest. "Where is everybody?! I tried to get back when I couldn't find the person that I heard calling me," the frustrated child wept, rubbing her tears away with the back of her small hand. "But all I managed to do was get more and more lost..."

Her despair overwhelming her, she bent down to kneel on the ground.

"Waa... _Please_, let someone come, and find me! ...Kohaku-kun! Jaken-sama! Ah-Un...!"

_'If only I'd stayed there... with Kohaku and Master Jaken.'_

The silence of the woods around her scared her.

All alone with her tears, the little girl looked around fearfully as she heard more and more strange noises around her, but all she could do was crouch down and wait.

-0-

"Rin... Rin! Where are you?!" Kohaku called as he walked through the forest looking for the little girl. "You know Jaken-sama doesn't like it when you wander off by yourself!"

_'Where could she have gone?'_ the young taijiya asked himself as he scratched his head. _'I only took my eyes off her for a couple of seconds... ' _"...Ah?"

Kohaku frowned as he caught sight of a shiny object under some bushes. Stopping in order to approach it, he moved the shrubbery out of the way so he could pick up it up.

_'...What is this?'_

-0-

_'This is really, very interesting,'_ the devious detachment, Tsumi, thought as she spied everything from behind a tree. _'It's a good thing I didn't let that stupid Aku follow me.'_

"Hehe. Who would have thought, after leaving those two to themselves, that this would be the glorious scene I'd find when I came back."

Grinning madly, she watched as the Dog Demon, Sesshoumaru, leaped to the side to avoid an exploding object similar to a rudimentary grenade, that one of the monks had thrown at him.

"Um, he seems to be handling himself well," Aku's female twin said. "As if he were playing with them. I...guess I can see now why that idiot Usagi likes him," she murmured as she watched the way the Western Lord flawlessly used his green whip to disarm Ungai without actually harming him.

"Still..., it's a pity... Restraining oneself so much, repressing one's own abilities for the sake of a bunch of uncoordinated humans, that is the most ridiculous thing I've seen so far," she sneered. "Clearly, that mutt Inuyasha's brother can not compare to our infinitely wise lord and master, Naraku-sama," she licked her lips wantonly as she thought of him.

Encouraged by thoughts of her master, she suddenly came up with an idea. With all of that distraction, she realized, she could take this opportunity now to covertly attack the Demon Lord.

_'If I wait till he gets cornered by these maggots,' _she thought,_ 'I can try and inflict a good wound on him, without him having the chance to find out where the attack is coming from_._..' _

And maybe, if she was lucky, with the monks' unwitting help, she could even succeed cutting off the Taiyoukai's one arm.

Something like that would surely gain the eternal favour of her lord, Naraku, for her.

Licking her lips eagerly, the female incarnation smiled.

-0-

"Not... the Shikon no Tama?" Usagi bristled. "Then, what is it that I'm supposed to be thinking?"

"The artefact which mortals call 'Shikon Jewel'... in many ways it isn't unlike that crystal of yours," the dark woman responded. "Yet unlike the Imperium Silver Crystal, it holds no loyalty to those it's become an instrument for. Born of the quarrel between several entities, it will never obey other will but its own."

"So this Jewel of Four Souls... is like the Silver Crystal?" Usagi wondered. "Holding the infinite power of a star seed?"

"It isn't a star seed like your Silver Crystal, because, just like the old form of Chaos, it lost its one chance to become a star."

"Why? ...Did it not even have the choice to become a Sailor Crystal? Do you mean to say that the intended wielder died? ...But, even so, couldn't they just have been reincarnated...?"

"Not if their soul was imprisoned inside the jewel, made to share its power with demons and beasts alike."

With a simple hand wave, an image of the accursed Shikon was summoned by the queen to appear in front of Usagi. Staring at the spiritual forces inside it, battling and constrained, the girl looked on horrified.

"Wha— how could that awful thing be happening!"

With another one of Neherenia's hand waves, the image faded. "...You see it now, Serenity? That sphere harbors a powerful curse hidden there and waiting to happen. Just as it has condemned the creatures inside it, so it will condemn again someone else. With this, the Shikon is no longer a star seed, it's become the opposite of it. A crystal that feeds on the souls of beings, be those of light or darkness, instead of giving those souls its own power."

"A-and that's how it keeps getting stronger, a soul-devouring jewel!? ...How come none of the ones who told me of it have realized it?!"

"They do not possess the deep sensitivity to the world of all things spiritual, which all beings who have joined their minds with the Galaxy Cauldron seem to have."

Usagi understood then. It was the insight of Sailor Cosmos.

"And since you are a part of me," she assented, nodding, "as long as I am the warrior of the Cosmos, Neherenia, so will you also be, just another side of her."

-0-

Brushing the twigs and leaves off of it, Kohaku saw that the object he'd just picked up was Usagi's golden music box, the Star Locket.

"This thing," he muttered to himself, alarmed. "Rin was the one carrying it!"

Turning at once to run back to camp, the young boy clutched the locket in his hand tightly.

_'This trinket, Usagi-san's locket...' _

_'Rin would never do such thing as leave it just lying around, unsupervised...!'_

Inside his mind, he was already panicking.

"...I'd better hurry and go get Jaken-sama...!"

-0-

"Kya?!" Rin lowered her head in attempt to try and hide herself.

She thought she had heard some kind of animal, growling. Right then...

...She had the distinct feeling that there was something in there, something bad. Lurking and hidding behind the thick branches, watching her from the shadows.

"...Ko-...Kohaku-kun? Ah-Un? ...Is that you?"

Biting her lower lip, she was too afraid to think of running.

-0-

"_...Kyaa...!"_

"Huh? ...Rin-chan!?" the blonde turned around wildly.

"What is it?" raising a brow, the Death Moon queen asked her.

"I thought..."

"Oh?"

"I- I just thought I heard something."

"You think it is proper to get so distracted, when you should be thinking about much more serious matters?"

"Eh? ...Then, why don't you come out and say it, Neherenia?" the former moon princess confronted her. "...Who is that Naraku person that everyone keeps mentioning?"

"Open your ears, and you will hear. Open your eyes... and you will see. I keep telling you this, over and over."

At the older woman's answer, the blond-haired girl's entire body started glowing with her anger.

"Who is it, Neherenia? ...The man that cruelly attacked my village, hurting my friends and my teacher, Kaede-baba?! I'll have you know your games are starting to annoy the heck out of me!"

Yet the ruler of the Death Moon only smirked.

"The only one playing a game is you, Serenity... and it is the game of hide and seek."

-0-

"...Wh- who's there?"

The child's question did not receive a human answer.

The only response that she obtained was an animal's deep, guttural sound.

"Kya!" The fear-stricken Rin covered her ears with her hands, trying with all of her might not to listen. However, she could hear it loud and clear now.

The growling was back, and it sounded awful, like the sounds of a beast ready to strike.

Rin could hear the sounds of a supernatural being, approaching, shielded by the thick vegetation at the back, breathing and grunting heavily, filling the air around her with the foreboding sense of danger.

"I'm really, really scared!" the little girl wailed, shutting her eyes tightly. "...Se- Sesshoumaru-sama...! ...Please come!"

– 0-

"If I only have to open my eyes, truly, what difference does it make if you come out and tell me?" The former moon princess regarded the queen helplessly. "You say it is someone I know."

"Yes. That is the truth."

"Then, why won't you say it?!"

"...You really do not realize who it is?

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking. Don't just stand there, looking at me! ...You said you wanted to help me!"

"..."

"...Who is Naraku, Neherenia?"

"I'm sure that, deep down, you already know."

-0-

The moment Rin dared to open one eye, she regretted it. Right there, a few feet back, she could see the silhouette of a monstrous hound whose lurking red eyes were staring at her.

The child felt her breath leave her as soon as the being stepped out of the shadows.

It was exactly the same kind of entity that had leapt out of a black hole once created by the Tenseiga, an underworld demon who'd come out to the mortal world to kidnap both her and Kohaku, taking the children back with it to hell before they'd finally been rescued by Sesshoumaru-sama.

And right here and now, deprived of the protection of either Jaken, Kohaku or Lord Sesshoumaru, she had found another similar, terrifying creature, standing right behind her.

If she could recall it accurately, the last time Rin had seen such a creature, was the second time she had died.

"_HELP! ...Kohaku-kun, Usagi-san! ...Sesshoumaru-sama..!"_

**To Be Continued.**


	73. Looking for her

_Disclaimer: Neither Inuyasha nor Sailor Moon belong to me, they belong to Takahashi Rumiko and Takeuchi Naoko. I am just a fan._

Chapter Seventy Three.

_It was exactly the same kind of entity that had leapt out of a black hole once created by the Tenseiga, an underworld demon who'd come out to tthe mortal world to kidnap both her and Kohaku, taking the children back with it to hell before they'd finally been rescued by Sesshoumaru-sama. _

_And right here and now, while being deprived of the protection of either Jaken, Kohaku or Lord Sesshoumaru, she had found another similar, terrifying creature, standing right behind her._

_If she could recall it accurately, the last time Rin had seen such a creature, was the time she had died._

"_HELP! ...Kohaku-kun, Usagi-san! ...Sesshoumaru-sama..!"_

-0-

_'HELP!'_

"Huh?

"...What is it, Serenity?" the queen of the Death Moon questioned impatiently.

"I..."

_'...Kohaku-kun!'_

"You seem to be getting more and more distracted. What is it that keeps your mind wandering?"

"I-..."

"Oh?"

"...I... don't know."

_'Usagi-san! ...Sesshoumaru-sama..!'_

The queen stared in surprise as the blond-haired girl seemed to fall in some kind of trance, and her blue eyes, now dark and emotionless, suddenly became empty, losing all of their shine.

"Hm, so that's what it was." glancing intently at her, the dark-haired queen muttered.

This time around, she was not expecting the pigtailed girl to answer her back.

-0-

Sesshoumaru was gradually becoming more and more fed up with these humans. If they didn't give up, or if the blond-haired girl didn't manage to wake up from her 'nap' soon, he was not going to be able to leave this cursed clearing without killing anybody.

Or actually breaking something.

Like, the annoying monks' skulls... or spinal cords.

He couldn't go to her now, because the men were keeping him away. The Taiyoukai snarled when he saw one of them make his way to approach her, reaching out with his hand as he bent down to wake her.

"Miss, are you alright? ...Are you hurt?"

Snarling again, Sesshoumaru sent out his green whip to scare the impudent monk away from the girl. ...He would cut off the human's arm before he allowed anyone of them to touch her!

…How dare they try to put their hands on her while he was otherwise occupied?!

It didn't occur to him, right then, to question any of those thoughts. Acting possessive towards the golden-haired female was something which had strangely become natural.

Be it as his prey or as his asset, he inwardly thought, he would kill these men one by one, before letting them grab hold of this irritating bird that had fallen under his so called self-interested 'protection'.

Seeing his feral, bloodthirsty grin, the reckless monk gaped and backed away instantly.

The Inu Lord glared at him, satisfied.

_'Mongrel...'_

_'...What?!' _

He stopped in his tracks as his thoughts were interrupted unexpectedly, as he took notice of another thing, the fact that blond girl's unconscious body, still slumped against the tree trunk, had started to glow with some sort of unfamiliar aura.

_'This energy, I have already felt it,' _he thought as he moved out of the way to avoid another one of the humans' wayward projectiles.

_'It is slightly different from her own, but I recognize it... when have I felt it?'_

Just as Sesshoumaru was about to go to the unconscious woman, he finally recalled when he had once been exposed to the same strange aura.

That aura was...the one he had felt the night before, in that delirious dream. The aura belonged to the grey haired, black-winged figure that had introduced itself as another side of the blonde, Usagi.

It was...

_'...Serena...!?'_

The Demon Lord's gaze widened slightly as he watched the ghostly figure take form right above her other, unconscious self, turning around to meet his stare with half-lidded dark eyes.

What on earth was she doing there!?

"_There's danger coming her way...we need to hurry,"_ without moving her lips, her eerily spectral voice told him at once.

"...What?!" he hissed, without understanding.

Unfolding her wings, the nude grey-haired figure took a leap and disappeared without another reply, flashing away from the clearing with an instant burst of speed.

Glancing around at the humans around him, Sesshoumaru saw that they'd noticed nothing. Staring after her, he felt himself becoming more and more incensed.

That shameless broad!

_'What the hell...is she? ...How dare she, where did she dare to go?' _the Inu Lord grunted to himself, swearing with shock and frustrated anger, the Taiyoukai stomped, biting back a string of curses by furiously and half-consciously throwing his poisonous whip around.

The result of his temper tantrum was that, without even meaning it, he almost succeeded in slicing the monk standing right behind the leader, Lord Ungai, in two clean halves.

-0-

"Wha-... what are you...?! W-What is it y-you want!?"

In another part of the forest, little Rin was trying to reason with the demonic hell-hound. In an attempt to stall things, she kept moving backwards several steps for each step that the creature took forward, in her direction.

"If- If you do anything to me, you will...—! You will have to answer to Lord Sesshoumaru!" she shouted at it, stuttering, in a vain effort to make the being give up on its intended task.

She really hoped she would be able to put off its desire to harm her. However, as if deaf to her tearful pleas, the terrible entity never ceased on its track.

_'If— If I get killed, again... this time...' _

_'This time...no one will be able to resurrect me!' _Rin thought despairingly, once more shutting her eyes tightly.

"Please! Please don't hurt me!" She begged to the still growling creature, which kept advancing, menacing. "I won't do —! I won't do anything to you, I swear, not anything!"

_'It's no use... ...It's really going to attack me-'_

_'NO!'_

_...Sesshoumaru-sama, please...! ...Please come!'_

_'I- I'll die...!'_

Staring at the threads of spit dripping from the bloodied fangs of the demon, she trembled with unrepressed fear.

_'If you don't come...someone...! ...I'll—! Sesshoumaru-sama...!'_

_'... Rin will– ...she will really be...'_

She could no longer contain her tears now.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! ...Please come! If you don't help me, Sesshoumaru-sama, I'll—!" she cried out loud, helplessly. "I'll die, Sesshoumaru-sama._.. ...I will die_...!"

Just as the hound was about to strike her, both were blinded by a sudden burst of light. Opening her eyes cautiously, Rin saw the creature was being held back by the ghostly form of a lady who'd come in-between, stretching her coal-black wings as she idly turned around to face the demon, blocking its path.

"U...- Usagi-sama?!" Rin thought that she could recognize her.

Taking her eyes off the thing in front of her, only for a second, the female figure whispered to her, from over her shoulder, a single clear-cut order.

"_Run."_

Taking one look at the spirit and hell-hound, the former of which looked remarkably like the blonde she admired, the little girl quickly turned her back to the two of them and fled, without needing to be told twice.

In spite of it, she could still hear the sounds of the creature giving chase.

-0-

It was about time he got rid of this bunch, Sesshoumaru thought, his eyes turning pink with a true demon's displeasure. Awake or asleep, he would pull the girl to her feet by the hair, if he had to, till the two of them got away from there, uncaring if his actions were causing her pain or not.

He had waited long enough for her to wake up on her own.

"Sesshoumaru_-sama_," Ungai addressed him disdainfully, again, "what have you done to our ally and friend, Lady Hitomiko?"

"I do not answer to the likes of you, monk," the Taiyoukai growled impatiently, turning towards him. "But I'll be indulgent enough to let you know that I do not know any woman of that name."

-0-

"Faster... I need to run faster!" Rin told herself as she avoided trees and low branches in her haste to leave the supernatural thing far behind. "I need to get to that village before that creature catches me!"

She knew that there was a village not too far from where she was. Sesshoumaru-sama, Jaken-sama, Ah-Un and her had gone there very often whenever the Demon Lord felt the need to see his brother, Inuyasha.

Rin knew that Lord Inuyasha, the girl Kagome and their other companions had friends there and that the local priestess might be willing to help, if it was requested by Rin, a young child. The little girl did not know if an old Shinto priestess like the one who lived there would be able to repell the hell-hound, but it was worth a try.

Especially now, when Rin didn't know where either Kohaku or Jaken-sama was. As gullible as she'd been to let some stranger's voice lead her away from them, she knew it was her own fault that things had turned out like this and was hard fast resolved on getting out of it even without their intervention.

"Uff - uff! ...Jaken-sama! Ah-I-I'm really sorry I didn't listen to you before, when you told me not to stray far away by myself!" she murmured breathlessly as she tried to give herself courage, in order not to stop even once to stare behind while she was running. "Phew! I promise that if I get out of this one, I'll— ah! I will never disobey you again, uff! ...Never... ever...again!"

She knew that if the toad youkai could see her right then, he would probably be snorting and infuriated, grumbling incessantly. But the little girl knew in her heart that the moody toad loved her, despite his cruel words sometimes.

If she managed to get herself out of this one, Rin thought, and the two of them could ever be reunited, she would make sure the toad youkai knew that she also loved him.

"Uff! I will definitely listen to what Jaken-sama says, and... uff! I'll say to him that I'm sorry!" while she continued running, Rin bargained with the Kami up above. "If someone comes save me right now, I will not bother him, again, or Ah-Un, with my flower crowns..."

_'...I promise!'_

In spite of her mental offerings, the Kami apparently did not like her all that much, or they had some kind of hearing impediment that rendered them unable to listen to people's praying. ...Because she could hear the sounds of the demon hound finally catching up to her.

"N-...no!" the little girl stopped and crouched down, covering her head with her arms as she again shut her eyes.

Waiting for an impact or some kind of harm, which never came, she glanced back and could not believe what she was seeing...

...The demon hound was howling, confronted by Kohaku-kun and Jaken-sama!

"Don't come any closer, you god-awful freakish animal!" the toad-youkai yelled as he swung several times at it with his staff, making the demonic thing so enraged that it wouldn't budge an inch.

"Ja- Jaken-sama!?"

"Step back, Rin! " the young taijiya boy called to her before he too charged at the underworld demon with his weapon. "We have it covered!"

"Kohaku-kun, Master Jaken, please be careful!" the younger child cried worriedly from several feet behind them. "It's very, very dangerous!"

Just as she was saying this, the underworld being leaped to the air to ellude the both of them, closing in on her once again, as if had been following the sound of her voice.

"...Rin!" Kohaku yelled, rushing to put himself between his younger friend and the monster. The entity lunged at him, standing on its hind legs as it aimed towards his neck with open jaws, and the young taijiya boy managed to shield himself just barely with his weapon.

Sharp canines clashed soundly against the blade of his bone axe as he struggled to keep the hellhound at bay.

"Ko-...Kohaku!"

"Quick! Take Master Jaken and get away!"

"What?!" Rin screamed. "I can't do that!"

"Slayer boy, what on earth do you think you are saying?! You think we're just going to leave you here behind and flee?! We cannot risk Naraku coming and getting his hands on your Shikon shard!"

"I... I can't hold it off much longer!" the older human child urgently admonished them. "Go and get Sesshoumaru-sama!"

With all the effort that he was making, the golden object that he was clutching to one side of the axe's handle fell down to the ground with a clang.

_'Is that Usagi-sama's locket?'_ Rin asked herself, taking notice. Bending down to clasp it in her hands, she quickly forgot all about it when she saw the hell-hound was now winning the struggle.

The taijiya boy was quickly forced to kneel on one knee as the animal's superior weight pushed him harder to the ground.

"Kohaku-kun!" the little girl screamed as she ran to his side, not knowing what to do to help him. The two of them gasped as the Star Locket in Rin's hands suddenly began shinning.

"Huh? That light?!"

"No way!? ...Purifying energy?! Where's it coming from?!" screeched the small demon.

The three allies gaped as the spiralling silver light repelled the creature away from them. A few seconds after, another powerful blast from the golden music box disintegrated the howling beast to ashes altogether.

The three of them just stood there alone, blinking.

"Wha—? What the hell happened to the hell-hound!?" Jaken's expression was one of disbelief, and he gazed down at the patch of smoking burned grass with his yellow eyes wide.

"...U-Usagi-sama's jewel! ...It protected us!"

"But why? ...How?!"

"Master Jaken, that was a hellish dog, wasn't it? How did it manage to come here from the underworld?!"

"If I had to bet on something, I would say it was the work of that Shishinki guy."

"Huh," Kohaku nodded, glancing down at the little girl and the golden locket on her palm warily. "Then we better go find Sesshoumaru-sama as fast as we can, in case there's another one of those coming..."

-0-

"Hm, so finally... it is happening," back in the Moon Castle's garden, the queen of the Death Moon said as she studied the trance-like state of Usagi.

The young woman's silver aura, that had previously been bursting, had finally managed to calm down, just now.

"...Rin..." the unmoving blond girl softly whispered to herself, then, unconsciously.

-0-

"What about the young woman you seem to be guarding?" the religious sage asked next. "What human village have you, vile youkai, kidnapped her from?"

"That is none of your concern."

"Isn't it?" Ungai sneered. "Then, what about that one child you took away from her kin, the last time we saw each other... the little human girl who calls herself Rin? Have you already devoured her body, or will you finally allow for us to take her back?"

"That child has already chosen," the Inuyoukai regarded the mortal with his own sneer. "I would have thought you intelligent at least to understand that she has no wish to return with your kind."

"The only reason she thinks that way is because you have probably bewitched her!" the worn-out man repeated. "Her place is with her own people! Now stop with your senseless tricks and quickly hand her over!"

"..._Enough!_" the Taiyoukai barked.

"Ah?" surprised at the supernatural being's growing anger, the other men recoiled back, looking uncertainly at one another.

"_You..._will _not_ force that child under my watch...to do anything that she doesn't want," Sesshoumaru answered with another snarl. "As for the female there, she's none of your business, either. You wretched ignorant wrecks had better leave, now, before this Sesshoumaru decides to put an end to all your pitiable lives!"

"How _dare you... _you _foul _youkai!" hissed Lord Ungai, preparing once more to strike.

Having had enough of him, Sesshoumaru crouched down and readied himself to kill off that witless human, once and for all.

-0-

"Just a little more," Tsumi murmured lowly, still spying on the Taiyoukai and monks, grinning darkly. "Surround him a little bit from that side, you human warts, and I'll be able to strike him and hide away before he manages to ditch you all to find the one that attacked him..."

Watching the scene discreetly with her bi-colored eyes, she waited for the perfect moment to make a move.

"Just a bit further... advance just a bit further, you lousy Taiyoukai, and I'll have a clear view to slice off the one arm that you still have," she told herself chuckling... right there... there... NOW!"

Her pink energy blast struck him with deadly accuracy, creating an injury on the Demon Lord's still functional shoulder, and the magical sword Tenseiga, slipped from his claws and fell down.

"Ah, I did it! ...Yes! I did it! Now a few more and I'll surely hack off that limb of his."

Before she could continue celebrating, Tsumi unexpectedly felt someone come and grab her tightly from behind.

-0-

"Um, that was unexpected," Queen Neherenia murmured as the form of Usagi disappeared right beside her.

In a certain clearing of a certain Japanese forest, she knew that now the golden-haired soldier had finally managed to wake herself up.

"_Rin... Sesshoumaru..."_

"Hm, I wonder if this will be the last time we've seen each other," the dark ruler asked even though now there was nobody around. A warm breeze blew her dark curly hair all around her as she stood alone in the Moon Castle's garden.

Looking far away at the form of the Earth setting down in the dark sky, the shadowed ruler shrugged her shoulders.

"Well then, it does not matter. I have other means to contact the girl if I want."

-0-

"Where... where did that blast come from?!" the stunned monks asked one another, looking between them, the forest around them and at the stone-hard expression of their master, Lord Ungai.

"It doesn't matter," the wizened man said as he watched Sesshoumaru's eyes tainted red and green while he struggled to get up, clutching his newly injured arm to stop the blood from flowing out. "This is the opportunity we've been waiting for, the time for us to put an end to the abominable actions carried out by this remorseless youkai."

"Abominable, you're the ones who are abominable..." Sesshoumaru grunted as an answer, glaring at the leader with all the hatred he could muster up. "If you wait only a moment, I will serve your punishment," reaching out with his hand towards Tenseiga, he opened his eyes wide as another strike hit him, in the exact same place that the previous one had done.

_'Black energy...! This attack is not from the same source as the other...' _the Demon Lord howled inside his mind, _'This energy! ... Shishinki!?'_

Struggling to rise on his feet, he found that he could not stand up.

_'What is this!?'_

"Hurry up, now! Before he gets up!" cried out Ungai. Just as he was raising his arm to instruct the others to attack, he thought he felt another aura hiding among the trees right behind him.

"Ah?!"

The feeling made him stop and begin to turn around.

"...Hito...miko?"

A hellish growl answered him, though, as a red tinted arrow came flying straight at the Taiyoukai.

"_No! _Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Everything was too quick for anyone to react as the little child, Rin, instantly came running to stand in front of her protector, shielding him with her own body as the arrow aimed straight for the Demon Lord.

However, Sesshoumaru's eyes widened even further as he saw that it wasn't Rin, though, the one who eventually received the strike of the arrow in the back.

"...W-what...?! Usa ..._Usagi-sama_?!"

-0-

"_You've been awfully inactive as of late, don't you think you should check what that mutt Inuyasha and his comrades have been doing all this time?"_ the annoying voice of Onigumo asked him, but Naraku did not humor it with a reply.

"_Take a look at what your remaining detachments are doing," _the voice insisted._ "The girl Tsumi and her brother are bound to make another mistake if you do not give them some punishment to remember you by."_

Though Naraku knew that he was the only one hearing it, sometimes the voice seemed to come from outside his own mind.

Like, the way it was resonating around him at the moment, a distant echo that was gradually coming closer, and closer... gnawing at him from all sides.

"Keep going at it, bandit, and I will make sure that your putrid spirit never again resurfaces to see the light of the sun," the hanyou told his human self grimly as he accommodated his coiling limbs better in the darkness. "Until you realize the true extent of this blunder, there is nothing else that you and I should be talking about."

"_You're letting yourself be depressed with thoughts of her," _inside his head, the bandit's voice still insisted. _"You are just turning the girl into another Kikyo."_

"Kikyo was nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to _Usagi_! You know that the loss of her is the loss of our most valuable asset as of yet!" the Hanyou lord growled mentally at the first of his human sides, his dark red eyes flashing warningly.

"_Hehe, is that what you keep telling yourself, just to be free to nurture thoughts of her, for so long and so much?...You're more taken with her than I thought, Naraku, if a mere human's emotions have gotten the best of you'_

"It's got nothing to do with that."

"_You can lie to your detachments, you can lie to yourself and you can lie to her, hybrid... but as your true creator, you can never lie to _'me'_... Your interests go beyond those for an asset, as you want to claim the girl for yourself, make her yours, so you can become one with that other human soul, and then you'll finally be able to get rid of me."_

"Heh, now that you're saying, Onigumo, he's been more useful to me than you have ever been... It is partly because of him that I've obtained such new powers..."

"—_And if I help him get over his feelings of sadness, I know you and I can obtain more than these."_

The half-blooded lord growled, almost outraged, when he heard the bandit tell him this.

"Stop talking nonsense! Without her, as you should know, none of the things that we had in mind are anywhere within both our reach!"

"_You care about her in the same way I used to care for that woman," _Onigumo's disembodied words continued. _"If it has truly come to this, then why don't you allow for that soul to come out in order to see if he can get any sense of where she is?"_

When Naraku didn't answer, he suggested.

"_There's no harm in letting the soul of that 'boy' come out every once in a while."_

"You think, that he might be able to find her? Very well, I will allow for it just one time."

Stretching his back, Naraku concentrated, and his entire self felt overwhelmed by a glowing, golden aura.

Red eyes turned blue like the colour of the midnight sky, when he looked up and opened his lips a different voice was the one that came out.

"_You're alive, Serenity, my love...I know that you're here. I've found you at last."_

_'My sweetest Usako... I'll finally be able to come for you.'_

**To Be Continued.**


	74. Torn apart?

_Disclaimer: Inuyasha and all characters and fictional events related are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, and Sailor Moon and all characters and fictional events related are the property of Naoko Takeuchi. I am just a fan of both._

Chapter Seventy Four.

_A hellish growl answered him, though, as a red tinted arrow came flying straight at the Taiyoukai. _

"_No! Sesshoumaru-sama!" _

_Everything was too quick for anyone to react as the little girl, Rin, came running to stand in front of her protector, shielding him with her own body as the arrow aimed straight for the Demon Lord._

_However, Sesshoumaru's eyes widened even further as he saw that it wasn't Rin, though, the one who'd received the strike of the arrow in the back._

"_...W-what...?! Usa ...Usagi-sama?!"_

-0-

"...W-what...?! Usa ...Usagi-sama?!" Rin asked desperately as the blond-haired girl, who'd unexpectedly appeared out of nowhere between herself and the oncoming projectile, grew suddenly very still as the arrow buried itself into her back.

"_No, Rin!_ ...Usagi-san!" Kohaku stared on with fright, Jaken close behind.

"Wha—, whaa?!" the toad-youkai croaked.

In the same instant, both Sesshoumaru and Rin saw was Usagi's eyes turn wide open. Both of them looked on in a manner close to disbelieving when no sound came out of the older girl's open mouth, as if the pain and fear numbing her presence of mind were so great that they would not even spare her the energy to utter a single scream.

"Y-Young woman!" Lord Ungai yelled, almost petrified with surprise.

"Ungai-sama, that's the child of the other time! ...She's still alive?!" One of the monks said, but the sage seemed too perturbed right then to pay any attention to him.

"Milord! ...Sesshoumaru-sama!" at such a scene, the toad couldn't but call out the name of his master, unsure of what was happening.

As the girl's body finally collapsed brokenly on top of the child, the Demon Lord stared at her, almost aghast. For all that she may not have uttered a single sound out loud, her scream was heard in his own mind, loud and clear.

A spiritual cry... a silent scream. The kind that could not be heard but only felt, in the same way that one would sense the person's spiritual aura.

A soundless scream, yet one which managed to shake anyone who sensed it to the core.

Mutely, he remembered the same thing happening days ago, when Usagi had that vision of her village being under attack. Even though Sesshoumaru had been off somewhere else at the time, busy with Totosai and away from her, he had still been able to hear her aura's cry of distress within his own mind.

It was no mystery, then. He'd finally figured it out. They seemed to share some sort of telepathy with each other through his sword, Tenseiga. And by the way the sacred fang was angrily pulsing right now, it was apparent that it was blaming him for the girl's current state of hurt.

"U-usagi-sama!" the little girl cried out in anguish at seeing the arrow embedded in her older friend's flesh. Supporting the girl's weight, she immediately began to try to help her back up, her fear and childlike innocence making her unable to see, at the time, that moving a person with such an injury would not have been advisable under any circumstances.

The sound of a twig breaking alerted all of them to a new presence.

"Hitomiko?! ...It was you after all!?" Ungai shouted, watching incredulously as the seemingly unperturbed priestess nocked a second arrow to her bowstring, again pointing it at both Sesshoumaru and Usagi.

"Wait! What are you doing?!"

The woman's entire body was currently engulfed in an angry red aura.

"T-That priestess?!" Kohaku yelled, tightly clutching his chain-sickle kusarigama, unsure of what he'd do if it came down to him having to fight a miko, of all people, for the first time in his young life.

"Oh no!" Rin's eyes widened as she held Usagi's upper body, realizing she would not be fast enough to block the path of the arrow another time.

She needn't have worried though, because the moment the words left her lips, the blond-haired girl's form in her arms started glowing with a familiar silver light.

When she turned to her, the child could barely believe it as she saw the arrow in her friend's back make its way out, withdrawing itself slowly as it moved backwards, the head ripping apart the cloth in the upper garment of her uniform enough to leave her skin exposed to everyone's gaze, the tip dripping with fresh blood as it retracted and came out at last. Then the wound began to close and heal itself, even if it managed to do it only partially, the black coloring left there hinting that the arrow had probably been poisoned or tainted with toxic energy.

Be as it may, still, Ungai and his comrades could do nothing but gape as the offending stick fell to the ground with a clatter.

"In-... _Incredible_!" Jaken squawked, not knowing what else to say at the sight, even though the feeling of such powerful purifying energy so nearby again made him shake in his pants.

A moment later, the blonde slightly moved away from the child in order to turn around and stare calmly at Hitomiko.

Rin gasped when she realized Usagi's eyes were now blazing silver. "Usagi-sama?"

Once Hitomiko met the blonde with her own vacant stare, she seemed to snap out of whatever trance she'd been in. The arrow she'd been aiming was lowered altogether, the red aura around her disappearing as she fell down to the ground.

At the same time that she did, too, Sesshoumaru realized that he was no longer paralyzed and he was once again able to move. The blazing aura around Usagi also faded.

"Hitomiko!" the old sage exclaimed as he made to go to the miko.

"Eh? ...Rin! ...Usagi-san!" snapping out of his own stupor, Kohaku quickly followed Jaken to see what state of their own friends were in.

"Hitomiko? Wake up! Hitomiko!" meanwhile, the anxious priest repeatedly shook the black-haired woman, trying to get her to come to while most of the other men went around them, surrounding the two.

"Ungai-sama, she's not harmed," one of the them said as he examined Hitomiko, trying to ease the growing apprehension that he saw in his leader's features. "She's just fainted, but it seems that she will be alright."

The weary monk shook his head, closing his eyes. "She will not be... ever again, not anymore."

"What?"

"She's been possessed," Ungai growled then, inspecting the woman in his arms. "The signs are very clear... and by a very dark entity at that. Being possessed by such a malicious creature... I can sense already that this has left her inner defenses obliterated, and that will leave her mind and soul forever open to that kind of attack. It's like she's been left with a permanent scar—."

"That, that just now was... a demon's possession!?" the other men looked horrified at one another. "She'll be forever sensitive to possession by other youkai?!"

"—Never again will she be the same strong person that she once was," the wizened man nodded, as he finished bitterly.

His own words made Lord Ungai feel overcome with a feeling of helplessness, and the hand on his staff tightened in a fist as he realized that his old friend and ally would never again be able to truly defend herself against demons and their evil intentions from now on. Leaving the priestess in the care of one of his partners, he immediately got up and went to confront the now standing Taiyoukai.

"Was it your doing, Lord Sesshoumaru!?" he furiously demanded at the Demon Lord, who was still sporting an injured single arm.

Tired, irritated and wounded, Sesshoumaru fought the irresistible urge to do something drastic, biting his tongue harshly lest he unwittingly do something rushed or somewhat exaggerated and unfitting, like accidentally shape-shifting and going giant-dog on a simple ningen. He had intended to go check on Usagi and Rin, who were being assisted by the taijiya boy and his own servant Jaken, yet this human hog had come and interfered once again, getting in the way of what he wanted.

Looking at the man's distressed features, the Demon Lord remembered what he had been thinking only a few moments before:

**Flashback **(to Chapter 68)**:**

_Yes, it could be dangerous. Indeed, human love looked disconcerting, bothersome and annoying._

_Yet... it looked like it could, after all, turn into something unpredictable and dangerous. Unlike what he once thought, it could never be irrelevant… _

_A double-edged sword, it could indeed become fearsome. Inuyasha's endless troubles with that undead human priestess would be a clear testimony of that fact. Human love could be surprisingly enduring and relentless. _

_It would not be ignored once it started. _

_It had the power to turn many of the subjects it touched into complete emotional wrecks, yet… it could also allow for the most mediocre of beings to achieve the unthinkable. _

**End flashback.**

"That was the power of no being from this world," just this once, the Inu Lord decided, he would deign the man with a right answer, lest the pitiful, pathetic creature be led forever along a path of miserable ignorance, "I've felt such energy before. That was the work of a hell-hound from the underworld."

"What?!" the religious wanderer stared at the demon with surprise before his jaw tightened and he hissed back, sneering and raising his own chin. "Do you take me for a fool, youkai? I...guess I should have known better than to believe I can listen to any word that comes out of your mouth!"

"Do you not believe it?"

"There is no way a hell-hound can come to the earthly world unaided by someone from this plane." The fact that they only roamed in hell was, precisely, the reason they were called _hell_-hounds...

Besides, Ungai had already realized that this Lord Sesshoumaru of sorts was actually a _dog_ demon.

"What?" Jaken quaked as he approached them. "What are you insinuating, monk? Sesshoumaru-sama does not need to resort to those filthy tricks with your kind!"

He did not seem to remember the stunt they had once pulled by making a Nothing Woman pose as Inuyasha's mother. If he did remember it, probably, he did not deem it a filthy trick as they hadn't actually tampered with the underworld's spirits, and Inuyasha being himself not fully human should have realized in an instant that the woman was in fact another youkai and not the true ghost of the departed Izayoi. It was only due to the influence his own human heart and human feelings that he had allowed himself to be tricked so easily, as both the toad and his master had known it would come to pass.

Ignoring Jaken, both men only looked intently at each other, the differences between them a gap impossible to bridge. Years... decades of bad blood making the atmosphere heavy with resentment, bigotry and distrust. Sesshoumaru silently met Ungai's recriminating gaze with his own aloof, challenging and prideful one.

There could be no understanding to be reached there, not right then, and probably not ever.

Before they could do anything further, the blond-haired girl beside Rin got up from the ground and came to stand in front of the Demon Lord, stretching her arms out on her sides, as if to protect him from the human man.

"...Young lady?!" the monk exclaimed. Due to the girl's bangs covering her lowered face, he could not meet her gaze. When she turned her head up, though, the sage almost felt the urge to back down at the resolute expression she was making.

"Don't blame him..."

"Ah"

"Please, don't lay the blame on him," the girl's expression instantly turned remorseful, and earnest. "I was unable to do anything more to help her. So... it is my fault, not his, that the priestess will always be spiritually fragile and vulnerable from now on."

"Young lady..." Ungai whispered, raising a hand to the side of his face as if suddenly feeling very tired, as well as troubled. "I can see now that you, too, are a miko indeed. No one would have such pure, powerful and precise powers if they hadn't received some spiritual training of some kind. You were the one who freed her...this old priest was able at least to sense that much. So, why ever do you think it's you fault?"

"It's my fault that she was attacked."

"Why? Did you have anything to do with it?" the monk leader asked, eyes hardening"

"She couldn't have done such a thing, as she was here with me the entire time." Sesshoumaru interjected from behind her back.

"Huh? Sesshoumaru?!" looking behind her, the girl was flustered to see how much closer to her he had come to stand.

"I wasn't talking to you now, Taikyoukai... was I!?" a frustrated Lord Ungai snapped. The two men irately glowered at each other from over Usagi's golden head.

"Please, stop fighting!" The strength of her own yell left Usagi clutching the back of her still injured shoulder. Seeing her in such pain and hearing her plea, the monk decided it was best to back down, and surprisingly for everyone else, Sesshoumaru did as well, though the did not step any further away from the blonde like the other one had done.

"Young woman, why do you protect this youkai? He is the one by whom you were kidnapped."

"He did not kidnap me," shaking her head, the blond girl immediately tried to set him right.

"Eh? Aren't you... human?"

"Yes, but he has not forced me to go with him... not really," she responded seriously, looking at the wizened monk in the eye.

"Then, what about that small girl?" Ungai stammered, turning to one side as he motioned towards Rin, the little girl squeaking and fearfully duking behind Kohaku, her whole self cringing with the unpleasant memories as soon as she was frowned at by the stern man. "Does she continue to be with this demon because it's what she wants? And that other boy, is he actually a taijiya?" The sardonic, sharp tone in which those words were delivered made the blonde unconsciously take another step back.

As her body collided with the Demon Lord's chest, however, the contact did not just serve to make her feel a painful sting right there where his hard armor touched the fresh injury on her partially-bare back. The feel of Sesshoumaru's armor practically supporting her, so unyielding yet inexplicably warm, and the feel of his breath on the back of her neck and the side of her face, so close, lent her the courage she knew that she needed, unexpectedly, instead of making her feel even more uncomfortable and trapped.

Thus, taking a deep breath, she continued firmly. "What you said, even though I was out I still was able to hear most of it, Lord Monk," she commented, biting her lip and sounding a bit upset, "and your words are laced with such deep-rooted prejudice... In spite of what you may think, not all youkai are either merciless entities or completely evil of heart and mind."

"But—"

"In fact," Usagi said with warmth, "I happen to know one who cannot simply be described in those terms at all..." she finished with a smile, unaware that, just like Ungai, Sesshoumaru was also staring at her intently right behind her.

"What do you mean?" the human man was the one who asked, making the girl sigh.

"I know you mean well... but, if I stay with him, in the end it's because I have chosen that path myself." If those priests asked Rin and Kohaku, she knew as well, their own answer would probably be similar to hers.

"Have you, now?" tilting his head, the priest wondered out-loud.

The look the blonde gave him now was uncertain. "...Um?"

Turning back to glance at Rin and then back towards Usagi, the man gave a humorless laugh. "Hm, I see it now. You're just like that other miko girl that we met... Both of you seem to think about youkai in the same way that child does."

"Eh?" _'That child... does he mean, Rin? But who else is he talking about? ...A "miko girl"?' _

"I was told her name was 'Kagome', if I recall correctly... or was it 'Higurashi'?"

"Kagome... ...Higurashi...?" Usagi whispered in a thin voice.

"As a matter of fact," the man said with a hand to his chin. "I think she was traveling with a silver-haired hanyou who was also part inuyoukai. ...Funny, such a coincidence."

Remembering everything she'd heard Jaken, Kohaku and Rin say about his infamous half-brother, Usagi turned to throw a confused glance at Sesshoumaru, who was staring hard at the elder before he shifted to meet her eyes.

She need not be a mind reader to understand that the hanyou traveling with Higurashi Kagome, the 20th century girl who was friends with Kaede and who wanted to find and purify those so-called jewel shards, was Sesshoumaru's own sibling.

This was the first time she realized.

"Sesshoumaru, I—" Before she could confirm it with the Demon Lord, her question was interrupted by the next thing Ungai said.

"—However it may be, I'll have you know that this old monk will not be satisfied with such situation a third time."

"Eh?"

"I still don't think it's safe to consort with demons. Humans and youkai traveling together? What an utter nonsense...! Even if _'he'_ refrains from doing you any harm," the sage continued, motioning to Sesshoumaru, "that doesn't mean that his youkai enemies and friends also will...

"If that happens, how is he supposed to defend you and the children with only one injured arm? Especially now that you also have a great wound on your shoulder."

"No, no... wait. I too can protect myself," the blonde started, reaching towards her back absent-mindedly. "I'm fine."

"With that awful black colour spreading all over your skin? No, you're not _fine_," the monks' leader went on, "you need to have it treated immediately, and I don't think that _'he'_ would know how to do anything like it."

Hearing a low growl rising behind, Usagi knew Sesshoumaru was growing incensed with all this business of being called "he" and by all the things the human monk was implying.

"Er, wait, Lord Monk, I don't think —" ._..that it's fair to talk about Sesshoumaru like that._

However, it was unsurprising when the man did not let her finish.

"I do not wish to force any of you, but if none of you will listen, the other priests and I will do what we must... I think it's in yours and the children's best interest that you follow us back to a human village... and leave those two demons behind, once and for all."

Hearing this, Sesshoumaru's visage grew positively livid, and Jaken looked in shock.

As for Usagi, Kohaku and Rin, they all turned to stare at the monk, appalled, as all three of them gasped at the same time.

"...Ah?!"

**To Be Continued.**

**-0-**

**A/N: Poor Ah-Un did not get counted by Ungai because he wasn't there. Still...uh-oh! Are Rin, Kohaku and Usagi gonna get separated from Jaken and Sesshoumaru now? You'll have to continue reading (and reviewing) if you want to find out!**


End file.
